Chapter IX: Ambiguity and Symbolic Logic

The universal use of some system of Symbolic Logic would not only enable everybody easily to deal with exceedingly complicated arguments, but would prevent ambiguous arguments. In denying the indispensability of Symbolic Logic in the former state of things, Keynes[33] is probably alone, against the need strongly felt by Alice when speaking to the Duchess,[34] and most modern logicians. It may be noticed that the Duchess is more consistent than Keynes, for Keynes really uses the signs for logical multiplication and addition of Boole and Venn under the different shapes of the words "and" and "or."

As regards ambiguity, a translation of _Hymns Ancient and Modern_ into, say, Peanesque, would prevent the puzzle of childhood as to whether the "his" in

And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees

refers to the saint's knees or Satan's.

FOOTNOTES:

[33] In his _Fm. L._

[34] See Appendix I.