"Logic is the art of non-contradictory identification."~ Ayn Rand from 'Galt's Speech' in her book For the New Intellectual"What is the actual structure of human reasoning when we engage in deduction?"~ Leonard Peikoff from Lecture 15 of his lecture series 'History of Philosophy'"To exist is to be something, as distinguished from the nothing of non-existence, it is to be an entity of a specific nature made of specific attributes. Centuries ago, the man who was—no matter what his errors—the greatest of your philosophers, has stated the formula defining the concept of existence and the rule of all knowledge: A is A. A thing is itself. You have never grasped the meaning of his statement. I am here to complete it: Existence is Identity, Consciousness is Identification.
"Whatever you choose to consider, be it an object, an attribute or an action, the law of identity remains the same. A leaf cannot be a stone at the same time, it cannot be all red and all green at the same time, it cannot freeze and burn at the same time. A is A. Or, if you wish it stated in simpler language: You cannot have your cake and eat it, too.
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"The law of identity does not permit you to have your cake and eat it, too. The law of causality does not permit you to eat your cake before you have it. . . .
"The law of causality is the law of identity applied to action. All actions are caused by entities. The nature of an action is caused and determined by the nature of the entities that act; a thing cannot act in contradiction to its nature."~ Ayn Rand from 'Galt's Speech' in her book For the New Intellectual
[Hat tip Louise LaMontagne]
...but...but...but.. the cat, that most famous cat, the most famous cat of all...
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