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.
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.