Zulip Chat Archive

Stream: general

Topic: logic joke

Jeremy Avigad (Sep 04 2020 at 11:37):

I learned a logic joke from a student yesterday, and I can't resist passing it along.

Three logicians walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Would all three of you like a drink?"

The first logician says: "Maybe."

The second logician says: "Maybe."

The third logician says: "Yes."

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:38):

Kevin Buzzard (Sep 04 2020 at 11:39):

We had a variant of this as undergraduates: four mathematicians sitting on a sofa and someone asks "does anyone want tea?": "maybe, maybe, yes, yes". You don't even know if the last person wants tea.

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:40):

Strictly speaking, I've always thought the third logician should have said "maybe". To conclude from the first and second maybe that the two logicians want a drink is to draw an unsound inference. ;)

Jeremy Avigad (Sep 04 2020 at 11:41):

Why? If they didn't want a drink, being competent logicians, they would have answered "no."

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:45):

Are you sure?

Kevin Buzzard (Sep 04 2020 at 11:45):

maybe

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:45):

First, you're assuming they're competent. That wasn't in the original joke.

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:45):

"Maybe" should always be a legal answer to anything.

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:46):

Like "maybe, I need to think about it".

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:46):

I drive my wife nuts by answering her yes/no questions with "maybe" all the time.

Jasmin Blanchette (Sep 04 2020 at 11:46):

(But then I'm not a competent logician, I admit it.)

Jeremy Avigad (Sep 04 2020 at 11:47):

I'm laughing...

Anne Baanen (Sep 04 2020 at 11:52):

Three logicians walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Would all three of you like a drink?"

The first logician says: "Maybe."

The second logician says: "Maybe."

The third logician says: "Assuming it is common knowledge for the purposes of our conversation that all three of us are competent logicians who follow the cooperative principles of communication, additionally assuming we are in fact truly capable of understanding each other, that there is not an evil demon controlling my perception misleading me, that ..."

Anne Baanen (Sep 04 2020 at 11:53):

A logician walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Do you know any good logician jokes?"

The logician says: "Maybe."

Joe Hendrix (Sep 04 2020 at 20:34):

Maybe the joke should start with "Three classical logicians walk into a bar."

Chris Wong (Sep 05 2020 at 06:15):

Since the domain of discourse is finite here (three), I believe it doesn't matter

Yury G. Kudryashov (Sep 06 2020 at 18:45):

I've heard a version with first two answering "I don't know"

Last updated: Dec 20 2023 at 11:08 UTC