# Morton's fork, fallacious/not?
**URL:** https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609
**Category:** Logic & Philosophy of Mathematics
**Tags:** wiki
**Created:** [August 18, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609 "2026-08-18T22:22:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@BestGuessYet](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/BestGuessYet)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/41 "2026-08-25T16:34:40Z")
> [@Scorpion](#):
>
> A good fork is good reasoning. Is the reasoning good? The premise is based on the way a person lives - luxuriously or frugally - and the conclusion is one has to pay taxes.
OK, I read the brief Wiki description of Morton’s Fork.
It looks to me like a simple case of justifying one’s conclusion, no matter the evidence. I see no reasoning in it. Just the determination to get what I want.
Common as beans.
Meanwhile, I see nothing in it which even vaguely resonates with the question I asked.
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### Author:  [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/42 "2026-08-25T22:30:57Z")
@BestGuessYet explain to me Morton’s logic. I appreciate what you’ve said so far. Thanks.
It seems Morton is saying the lifestyle of the rich comes in 2 flavors - simple and ostentatious - and he seems to be saying that in both cases the rich have to pay taxes. Compare the fork to, if it’s dark I’ll turn on my lamp and if it’s light I’ll turn off my lamp.
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### Author:  [@BestGuessYet](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/BestGuessYet)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2026, 12:59pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/43 "2026-08-26T12:59:13Z")
> [@Scorpion](#):
>
> It seems Morton is saying the lifestyle of the rich comes in 2 flavors - simple and ostentatious - and he seems to be saying that in both cases the rich have to pay taxes.
I think Morton is saying that he wants everyone to pay tax, but apparently he is only allowed to tax the rich, so he says, “I will label everyone as rich.”
Just common, everyday justification of one’s desired belief.
> [@Scorpion](#):
>
> Compare the fork to, if it’s dark I’ll turn on my lamp and if it’s light I’ll turn off my lamp.
Yes. That seems like everyday common sense. I doubt anyone actually uses logic to decide whether to light the dark.
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### Author:  [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/44 "2026-08-26T23:51:31Z")
Morton doesn’t want everyone to pay taxes. The poor wouldn’t be able to do so. He’s also not declaring everyone is rich. That’s silly.
My lamp fork, if the conclusion is turn off/on the lamp in both cases, tracks Morton’s logic. The lamp fork is ludicrous.
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### Author:  [@BestGuessYet](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/BestGuessYet)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/45 "2026-08-27T00:24:40Z")
> [@Scorpion](#):
>
> Morton doesn’t want everyone to pay taxes. The poor wouldn’t be able to do so. He’s also not declaring everyone is rich. That’s silly.
Well, if you won’t lay the issue out for me clearly, I don’t know enough about it to comment.
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### Author:  [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/46 "2026-08-27T00:27:35Z")
It’s not clear to me. That’s why I started the thread.
[Read this post for clarification](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/16), in conjunction with my lamp fork.
Thank you.
P.S. If you think your time is better spent elsewhere, I’ll respect that decision. 😃
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### Author:  [@BestGuessYet](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/BestGuessYet)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2026, 12:43am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/47 "2026-08-27T00:43:47Z")
> [@Scorpion](#):
>
> [Read this post for clarification](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/16), in conjunction with my lamp fork.
I’m sorry, but I can’t even make out the basic facts of the case.
But thanks for asking me.
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### Author:  [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/48 "2026-08-30T02:12:35Z")
For me this problem is like the Collatz conjecture - easy to understand, not so easy to solve. Here’s how it all sums up. Morton’s tasked with collecting taxes. He decides that the rich folks should pay them and they should do so if they lead simple lives or luxurious lives.
The problem here is [this](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/16). Something to do with contradictory statements.
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### Author:  [@BestGuessYet](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/BestGuessYet)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2026, 1:21pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/49 "2026-08-30T13:21:49Z")
> [@Scorpion](#):
>
> The problem here is [this](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/16). Something to do with contradictory statements.
Oh. It looks like it violates formal logic. Apparently, in formal logic, it is impossible to feed in contradictory variables and come up with the same answer?
Just a guess.
In a real human mind, such a thing is passingly easy.
Just your basic rationalization.
_I want X. Therefore, all my calculations will find X to be the answer._
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### Author:  [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2026, 1:39pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/50 "2026-08-30T13:39:09Z")
That’s a reasonable answer. Can you tell me more about contradictory variables.
Yes, I believe you’re also right about it being easy, for a human mind. I wonder why it has a separate wikipage and a catchy name too. It must’ve been of historical importance but also relevant to logic in some way.
The last statement is intriguing. Are yout talking of a function like f(x) = 11?
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### Author:  [@BestGuessYet](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/BestGuessYet)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/51 "2026-08-30T14:08:58Z")
> [@Scorpion](#):
>
> That’s a reasonable answer. Can you tell me more about contradictory variables.
I don’t know the first thing about formal logic. Sorry.
OK, I know one thing: _It is called formal logic._ But I definitely don’t know the second thing about formal logic.
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### Author:  [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/mortons-fork-fallacious-not/2609/52 "2026-08-30T14:25:00Z")
Yes, it is difficult even in informal logic
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