Updike's dictum

[Iosias]

I love the writing of Updike, in his memoir Self Consciousness he writes:

If God does not exist, the world is a horror-show
But the world is not a horror-show
Therefore, God exists.

I quite like it

 

[Lord Emsworth]

To some people it is a horrow show.
Therefore, God exists to some

(I don't find either syllogism very good.)

 

[Tinker Grey]

How about:

If God does exist, the world is a horror-show
But the world is not a horror-show
Therefore, God does not exist.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Iosias and Tinker Grey...

Denying the consequent. Valid.

Denying the consequent - definition of Denying the consequent by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Anyway Iosias which 'God' are we talking about? Surely not one who makes Hell[sup]TM[/sup]

For then "the world is not a horror show" would be false.

 

[Iosias]

I think you're taking it way too seriously, Updike was just being playful.

 

[Paradoxum]

.

 

[variant]

I think you're taking it way too seriously, Updike was just being playful.

If the point can not be seriously made, then you are correct that it is a joke.

As to Updike. Premises 1 and 2 are unsupported.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Look were logical machines here, we dont know what "joke" (????) means.