Varities of proof

[jorndoe]

We tend to think of proof as making a statement undeniable, or unquestionably reaching a conclusion. Disproof likewise.

Typical proofs found in metaphysics:

• (∃) existential proof: show the evidence, point it (the extant) out
• (∀) disproof of universal assertion: show a counterexample

Proofs are commonplace in mathematics and logic. Deduction and contradiction:

• (⇒) prove, or deduce, a conclusion
• () self-contradiction, or inconsistency, is disproof

Arguably, (∃) is the most common or generally most relevant in life. It’s how toddlers show parents the monsters under their beds. Figuring out what something is exactly is another matter than merely that something is (∃), though.

Mathematics is axiomatic (or has been axiomatized). We could think of deduction (⇒) as truth-preserving reasoning.

Proof can also be thought of as a kind of justification, but not vice versa.

My own interest here is what other kinds of proofs there may be, in the sense above. What say you?

[Scorpion]

I’m afraid logic hasn’t attained the level of poetry. In poetry we can have a signature, a particular style. In logic no. Perhaps one day we could talk of logic like we talk of someone singing like Mariah Carey. I hope and I hope but I hear hoping ultimately leads to doping.