[WikiEN-l] Using Wikipedia to out pseudonymous Erwin James, Guardian writ...

[Daniel R. Tobias]

On Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:02:52 EDT, WJhonson@{gag,vomit,retch}aol.com 
wrote:

> That's overreading and here is why.
> Omaha is in Nebraska.  Henry Fonda was born in Omaha.
> Henry Fonda was born in Nebraska.
> Nebraska is a state with a low population which grows mainly corn.
> Henry Fonda was born in a state which grows mainly corn.
> 
> We have no source which states this.  It is a trival inference from the 
> known statements.  We are allows to make trivial inferences, observations, 
> conclusions.

One must be careful, though; there are many logically fallacious 
things that people can carelessly make as "trivial" inferences.  For 
instance, that Henry Fonda grew corn (or that his parents did), which 
does not follow from the above facts.

It's questionable under what circumstances one would want to 
specifically mention that Fonda was born in a state that grows corn, 
if this fact wasn't directly in any sources; if the aim is to attempt 
to make inferences about his outlook in life based on some "corn 
belt" stereotype, that certainly would not be warranted.


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