An introductory text-book of logic - Mellone, Sydney - Rare Books at ...

208 CONDITIONAL ARGUMENTS AND
(2) Simple Destructive.
"
If he goes to town he must pay for his railway ticket
and his hotel bill ;
But either he is unable to pay his hotel bill, or to
pay his railway ticket ;
Therefore he cannot go to town."
(3) Complex Constructive.
This is a very common form.
"
If he stays in the room he will be burnt to death, and if
he jumps out of the window he will break his neck ;
But he must either stay in the room or jump out of
the window ;
Therefore he must either be burnt to death or break
his neck."
In this case the dilemma is an analysis of a practical situa
tion. Professor Minto gives as the standard example the
dilemma to which the custodians of the Alexandrian library
are said to have been put by Caliph Omar in 640 A.D. :
your books are in conformity with the Koran, they are
superfluous ; and if they are at variance with it, they are
pernicious."
(4) Complex Destructive.
Dilemmas of this type are less common.
"
If he were clever, he would see his mistake, and if
he were candid, he would acknowledge it ;
Either he does not see his mistake or he will not
acknowledge it ;
Therefore either he is not clever or is not candid."
[Stock.]
" The destructive dilemma is always com
Jevons says,
plex, because it could otherwise be resolved into two
unconnected destructive hypothetical syllogisms"; but
this does not appear to hold of the simple destructive
dilemma whose major premise is stated as above.
The dilemma has the reputation of being fallacious.
Thus Jevons says,
"
Dilemmatic arguments are more
often fallacious than not." If it is properly constructed,
the dilemma is absolutely correct; but many fallacies
"
If