# Trying to work out the logic of this syllogism "Pretense is to reason as..." **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162 "2022-06-30T02:17:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/21 "2022-06-30T18:03:34Z")
Yes, that’s the meaning I was using. Note that it specifically says “an outward **appearance** ”. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/22 "2022-06-30T18:07:01Z")
But “appearance” is neutral, just as “reason” is neutral. A facade is a type of appearance with a negative connotation, an excuse is a reason with a similar negative connotation. As I said, I think excuse works better than pretense, but pretense just about works. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/23 "2022-06-30T18:14:30Z")
Maybe. At least I see what you mean. I don’t think “pretense” is that close to “excuse” in meaning, though. An excuse may be entirely honest – “please excuse Joey from class, he’s got a high fever” is a normal usage, even presuming that Joey’s running 104º. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/24 "2022-06-30T18:23:32Z")
Just put (a); I’ll accept it. A pretence is an assertion or statement which, as noted, may be, but is not necessarily, false or misleading. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/25 "2022-06-30T18:28:30Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > “please excuse Joey from class, he’s got a high fever” is a normal usage That’s a verb. The verb can be completely neutral, the noun not so much. As a noun, to call something an excuse (rather than a reason) tends to imply that it is _motivated_ reasoning to explain or justify. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/26 "2022-06-30T18:30:33Z")
You never heard anybody say ‘that’s a good excuse’ or ‘but he had a good excuse’? And part of the problem with the analogy question, IMO, is that it’s hard to tell what part of speech the writers were thinking of, for multiple words. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/27 "2022-06-30T18:30:37Z")
I came to give the same answer as @Riemann. The question is unreasonable. And, BTW, it is an analogy, not a syllogism. A syllogism has the form: All men are mortal [major premise]; Aristotle is a man [minor premise]; therefore Aristotle is mortal [conclusion]. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/28 "2022-06-30T18:34:26Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > You never heard anybody say ‘that’s a good excuse’ or ‘but he had a good excuse’? An excuse can be good in the sense of valid, but it still has the negative connotation that it is _motivated_ (i.e. defensive) reasoning to explain or justify. You would not give an “excuse” to explain something _good_ that you had done. By comparison, the word “reason” is neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/29 "2022-06-30T20:37:30Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > A facade is a type of appearance with a negative connotation, an excuse is a reason with a similar negative connotation. But then, as noted above, an alibi is a kind of innocence with a negative connotation. Possibly due to years of TV shows where the bad guy has an alibi and it’s up to the good guys to figure out how the crime happened anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/30 "2022-06-30T20:48:09Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > an alibi is a kind of innocence I do agree that alibi has the exact same negative connotation as excuse or facade. It’s not so much that it matters whether it’s a _true_ alibi, it’s that it has a “defensive motivation” to justify or hide or refute something bad. So I think that’s more than just TV shows where the alibi is often a lie. The “defensive motivation” is the essential meaning of the word, whether it’s a true alibi or a lie. But whereas a facade is kind of appearance and an excuse is a kind of reason, an alibi is not a kind of innocence. It’s a piece of evidence used to _assert_ innocence. The logical relationship is not the same. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/31 "2022-06-30T20:53:36Z")
Pretense is to reason as facade is to beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/32 "2022-06-30T20:58:24Z")
I’m not so sure. Suppose the second word is the kind of Platonic ideal for something. The first word is then the grimy real-world version of that with its negative connotations. So, innocence is a state of being, while an alibi is one of the ways we might establish that. A reason could also be viewed this way–the actual underlying causal relationship for something. While excuse is just, well, a sorry excuse for that. In that case, facade/appearance doesn’t work as well. Both facade and appearance represent the overt, superficial qualities. Something like facade/structure would fit the pattern better. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/33 "2022-07-02T00:09:48Z")
I found the question and answer online. It seems the officially correct answer is B. However, it doesn’t give a justification. > **[Vocabulary Words/Analogy Flashcards](https://quizlet.com/479939458/vocabulary-wordsanalogy-flash-cards/)** > > Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like indispensable, exquisite, foment and more. > **[SSAT Test 3](https://quizlet.com/517660802/ssat-test-3-flash-cards/)** > > Practice Verbal Questions from the SSAT Official Test 3 Learn with flashcards, games, and more — for free. Best guess I have, the analogy is falsehood. A façade changes the appearance of a building giving a false impression of what it’s really like. Pretense is likewise a false thing that doesn’t match reality. Not a great analogy. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/34 "2022-07-02T00:33:29Z")
Thanks Peter\_Morris. I think what threw me off B was the word ‘reason’ (I was thinking of the word in more philosophical terms and not as an ‘excuse’) So B can make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/35 "2022-07-02T00:37:20Z")
Yes it is an analogy, not a syllogism. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/36 "2022-07-02T00:37:42Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I found the question and answer online. Those links are not going to this question, they just bring up what looks to be a random deal from a large number of flashcards. Which version of the question was it, the OP or the more tractable one that @The_Other_Waldo_Pepper found? It sounds like the latter, since you are talking about “appearance” rather than “satisfaction”? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/37 "2022-07-02T00:57:43Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Those links are not going to this question, they just bring up what looks to be a random deal from a large number of flashcards. Is it random? I’ve loaded a few times and it seems to be the same set each time. It has a long list of questions, including this one. > [@](#): > > Which version of the question was it, The one with “appearance”. I didn’t notice that it was different to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/38 "2022-07-02T01:09:17Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is it random? I’ve loaded a few times and it seems to be the same set each time. I don’t see any questions resembling the OP. I get a card with one word on it, I can deal through a few more cards then it asks me to log in. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/39 "2022-07-02T02:03:30Z")
Apologies for the semi-hijack. But has anyone ever heard ‘alibi’ used in the context of a meeting, as a synonym for “words from someone who couldn’t attend”? Right before signing off, the person conducting the meeting queries around the room, and then asks, “Any alibis?” Maybe British/Aussie usage. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162/40 "2022-07-02T02:31:21Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I don’t see any questions resembling the OP. I get a card with one word on it, I can deal through a few more cards then it asks me to log in. Anyone else having trouble with my link? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-work-out-the-logic-of-this-syllogism-pretense-is-to-reason-as/967162.md?page=3)