Question

Translate each of the following sentences into symbolic logic. There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America. (Otto von Bismarck)

Short answer

The symbolic logic representation of the sentence 'There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America.' is \(P(i) \land P(d) \land P(c) \land P(U)\).

Step-by-step solution

Identify Entities

First, identify the different entities present in the sentence. There are five entities: Providence, idiots, drunkards, children, and the United States of America.

Assign Symbols

Assign a symbol to each entity. Let's represent Providence as \(P\), idiots as \(i\), drunkards as \(d\), children as \(c\), and the United States of America as \(U\). Also, the phrase 'There is a Providence that protects' is a common feature associated with all entities. This can be represented as \(P(x)\) where \(x\) denotes the entity being protected by Providence.

Symbolic Representation

Translate the sentence into symbolic logic. So, the sentence: 'There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America.' would be represented symbolically as: \(P(i) \land P(d) \land P(c) \land P(U)\). Here, \(\land\) is the logical conjunction operator, denoting the word 'and'.