Friday, April 08, 2011

Illogic Problem

I dreamed last night that I was in a classroom, but did I have your standard naked at school dream? No. Did I dream then that I had a test but I hadn't studied? No. God forbid something normal should happen around me. I dreamed that I was being asked to do a sheet of logic problems. They were logical in the dream, very simple problems, in the form of stories that you had a solve a little puzzle from. Situations like a description of walking with the sun in your eyes after dinner and having to surmise that you're going west, but simpler than that, with less requirement for basic world knowledge (like where the sun sets) and without the at least half a dozen loopholes in that one. It's possible that there is no such problem set possible in the real world, but there it was in the dream world.

One was a three-parter. It involved some people going boating. The first two parts were perfectly easy, the same fitting together of facts to reach the obvious conclusion as the other problems. (I really regret I can't give you examples, but you know how dreams are). The third part involved working out who was navigating the boat, based on the logical clues given. One of the people on board was said to be a naval officer and pilot, and I remember asking aloud in the class if he was the sort of pilot who flew airplanes or the sort of pilot who navigated ships in harbours and coastal waters. I was told the latter. The boat in the question ran aground. I examined the various parts of the questions and, while the teacher was walking up the classroom aisle watching me, I wrote "FALSE, this is not a logic problem," beside the question. I knew what they wanted, but the information did not lead logically to that conclusion. The correct chain of deduction was supposed to conclude that the pilot was not navigating, because he wouldn't have screwed up. The teacher told me I was wrong. I was aghast, and had only started to enumerate why this was faulty reasoning when I was interrupted and told that I was overthinking it. How can you overthink an exercise in thinking?!

The pilot could have made a navigational error; it doesn't matter how trained, professional or prepared you are; you can make errors. He could have been drunk, fallen asleep, or suffered a medical emergency. The navigation chart could be in error, or the boat's steering mechanism or power source became inoperative. I woke up very irritated with the instruction I was receiving.

Still playing telephone tag with that one potential employer. Apparently he has left the country.

7 comments:

Ciaran said...

Many, many dollars spent on maritime lawyers will determine who was responsible for the boat running aground ;)

amulbunny's random thoughts said...

Admiralty law is fascinating. Maybe more so than aviation law. Like how do you miss seeing a breakwater on a clear night with a moon going 15kts? Drunk and distracted to the tune of over 100K for boat repairs and repair to the breakwater. Ah the jobs I have held.

hawk205 said...

this is a sign! you must contact Aviation Mentor and become free lance instructor. He seems to make a living at it- of course he does ask for donations on his blog-

Anonymous said...

Sounds very much like my school days... The teachers were always wrong. Just because I interpereted the question differently than they, doesn't mean I am wrong. In fact it means that they are stupid and can't set test questions well.

My marks suffered...

I always loved expertly crafted exam questions, as you would a fine automobile or a well restored warbird.

Verification: disize (as in double size?)

Aviatrix said...

a.r.t: Admiralty Law! What a lovely name. I can imagine some of it, because aviation law was born of it, but the silliest corners probably were left behind.

hawk205: It's much tougher to be a freelance instructor in Canada than the US, because to give ab initio training you have to fulfill all the requirements of a school, and your premises can't be the back of your truck. And Canadians don't need BFRs so there isn't that business, either. You have to be associated with a school, and they take about half your hourly billings.

Makya McBee said...

Somebody call Christopher Nolan...I'm smelling another blockbuster.

majroj said...

Ever been on a jury?