Re: Kommen drei Logiker in eine Bar. Der Kellner fragt: "Na, was darfs sein, die Herren? Drei Bier?" Sagt der erste Logiker "Ich weiß nicht"

On 24/06/2024 1:56 a.m., jerryfriedman wrote:

Antonio Marques wrote:
 

Phil Carmody <pc+usenet@asdf.org> wrote:

Ruud Harmsen <rh@rudhar.com> writes:

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 19:29:14 +0300: Phil Carmody <pc+usenet@asdf.org>
scribeva:
>

Ruud Harmsen <rh@rudhar.com> writes:

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 11:18:24 -0700: HenHanna <HenHanna@devnull.tb>
scribeva:
>

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Kommen drei Logiker in eine Bar. Der Kellner fragt: "Na, was darfs
sein,
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die Herren? Drei Bier?" Sagt der erste Logiker "Ich weiß nicht", der zweite auch "Ich weiß nicht" und der Dritte sagt "Ja"
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------ is this funny?   i don't really get it.

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0 | 0 | 1 = 1, in Boolean logic.

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True but irrelevant.
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~0 & ~0 & 1 = 1 is the boolean logic that applies.

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What do you mean by ~? Not? How is don't know a not.

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~ is indeed not.
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Saying "don't know" is the *exclusion* of "no" as a possible state,
because if "no" was this guy's intention he would have correctly
answered "no" rather than "don't know".

 

....except that 'don't know' usually means 'still deciding'.

 That misdirection is part of the puzzle (which I didn't get the first
time
I saw it).  But they're logicians, which is a clue that ordinary
interpretation doesn't work.
 I think this one can be worked out if it's presented as a puzzle,
ending "How did he know?"  In that case "I don't know" can't
mean "I'm still deciding."  It has to mean "I know what I want, but
I don't know what the others want."  For the third logician to
answer confidently, he has to be able to assume that the other
two know what they want, but three people walking into a bar
together might know each other that well.

Thank you, Jerry. This brings it within reach of my groping mind at last. So...the whole sequence has to be understood as individual answers to the question addressed to the group: Do you want three beers?
If either of the first two had _not_ wanted a beer, he would have been able (in fact required) to say "no" to the group question, even without knowing what the other two wanted. So "don't know" for the first two implies "I want a beer, but...". Once two such (individual, implicit) affirmatives have been given, the third guy knows the answer to the group question.
I agree, better puzzle than joke.