Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. Vizzini: But it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy’s? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool. You would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me. Man in Black: You’ve made your decision then? Vizzini: Not remotely! Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows! And Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect. Vizzini: And you must have suspected I would have known the powder’s origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me. Man in Black: You’re just stalling now. Vizzini: You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you?! You’ve beaten my giant, which means you’re exceptionally strong, so you could’ve put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you! But, you’ve also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me! ... Man in Black: Then make your choice. Vizzini: I will, and I choose- …
Vizzini of the Princess Bride, on the dangers of reasoning in absolutes—both logically (“this is proof it’s not in my goblet”) and propositionally (the implicit assumption Vizzini has that one and only one wine goblet is poisoned—P or ~P, as it were)
I don’t agree that Vizzini is trying to reason in logical absolutes. He talks like he is, but he doesn’t necessarily believe the things he’s saying.
Man in Black: You’re trying to trick me into giving away something. It won’t work. Vizzini: It has worked! You’ve given everything away! I know where the poison is!
My interpretation is that he really is trying to trick the man.
Later he distracts the man and swaps the glasses around; then he pretends to choose his own glass. He makes sure the man drinks first. I think he’s reasoning/hoping that the man would not deliberately drink from the poisoned cup. So when the man does drink he believes his chosen cup is safe. If the man had been unwilling to drink, Vizzini would have assumed that he now held the poisoned glass, and perhaps resorted to treachery.
He’s overconfident, but he’s not a complete fool.
(I don’t have strong confidence in this analysis, because he’s a minor character in a movie.)
Well, yes, he only pretends to reason in logical absolutes…
… which was why I wrote “and propositionally”—because he does actually reason in propositional absolutes. I agree with your analysis but note that it is only a good strategy if it’s true that one and only one cup contains poison (or the equivalent, that one and only one cup will kill the Man in Black).
On re-reading I may have lost that subtlety in the clumsy (parenthetical-filled) expression of the final line.
Vizzini of the Princess Bride, on the dangers of reasoning in absolutes—both logically (“this is proof it’s not in my goblet”) and propositionally (the implicit assumption Vizzini has that one and only one wine goblet is poisoned—P or ~P, as it were)
I don’t agree that Vizzini is trying to reason in logical absolutes. He talks like he is, but he doesn’t necessarily believe the things he’s saying.
Man in Black: You’re trying to trick me into giving away something. It won’t work.
Vizzini: It has worked! You’ve given everything away! I know where the poison is!
My interpretation is that he really is trying to trick the man.
Later he distracts the man and swaps the glasses around; then he pretends to choose his own glass. He makes sure the man drinks first. I think he’s reasoning/hoping that the man would not deliberately drink from the poisoned cup. So when the man does drink he believes his chosen cup is safe. If the man had been unwilling to drink, Vizzini would have assumed that he now held the poisoned glass, and perhaps resorted to treachery.
He’s overconfident, but he’s not a complete fool.
(I don’t have strong confidence in this analysis, because he’s a minor character in a movie.)
That the Man in Black describes it as a battle of wits—and not a puzzle—agrees with you.
Well, yes, he only pretends to reason in logical absolutes…
… which was why I wrote “and propositionally”—because he does actually reason in propositional absolutes. I agree with your analysis but note that it is only a good strategy if it’s true that one and only one cup contains poison (or the equivalent, that one and only one cup will kill the Man in Black).
On re-reading I may have lost that subtlety in the clumsy (parenthetical-filled) expression of the final line.