Thank God it’s Friday! That way John won’t order this 6 pound cheeseburger if he goes out tonight.
But if it were, say, Tuesday, the conversation might go like this:
“Either that’s the biggest cheeseburger I’ve ever seen, or I’m shrinking precipitously!” John exclaims.
“You’re not shrinking precipitously,” replies John’s wife.
“I guess that’s the biggest cheeseburger I’ve ever seen!” John says, now salivating precipitously.
The components of John’s disjunctive proposition – biggest cheeseburger he’s ever seen or he’s shrinking precipitously – are called disjuncts. So long as we eliminate all the disjuncts but one, that one must be true – assuming, of course, that the disjunctive premise is true to begin with.
Here it is in standard form:
Either that’s the biggest cheeseburger John’s ever seen, or he’s shrinking precipitously!
He’s not shrinking precipitously.
That’s the biggest cheeseburger John’s ever seen.
Here’s another example.
Either John Kerry was in Cambodia on Christmas in 1968 or he’s a big liar and shouldn’t be elected President.
John Kerry was not in Cambodia on Christmas in 1968.
He’s a big liar and shouldn’t be elected President.
