Inverse, converse, and contropassive

Question

What would the inverse of 'If it were up to me, there would be no such thing as the establishment,'?The converse and the contropassive?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

What would the inverse of 'If it were up to me, there would be no such thing as the establishment,'?

The converse and the contropassive?

First, some definitions.

in·verse

(

n-vûrs

,

n

vûrs

)

adj.

1. Reversed in order, nature, or effect.

2. Mathematics Of or relating to an inverse or an inverse function.

3. Archaic Turned upside down; inverted.

n. (

n

vûrs

,

n-vûrs

)

1. Something that is opposite, as in sequence or character; the reverse.

2. Mathematics One of a pair of elements in a set whose result under the operation of the set is the identity element, especially:

a. The reciprocal of a designated quantity. Also called multiplicative inverse.

b. The negative of a designated quantity. Also called additive inverse.

[Middle English, from Latin inversus, past participle of invertere, to invert; see invert.]

from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/inverse

con·verse²

(k

n-vûrs

, k

n

vûrs

)

adj.

Reversed, as in position, order, or action; contrary.

n. (k

n

vûrs

)

1. Something that has been reversed; an opposite.

2. Logic A proposition obtained by conversion.

[Latin conversus, past participle of convertere, to turn around; see convert.]

from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/converse

contropassive

Neither Mr. Google nor I know anything about this "word".

In my experience of everyday English, the terms 'converse' and 'inverse' are treated as having the same meanings. I find the term 'converse' much more commonly used.

In answer to your question, I'd say this.

'If it were not up to me, there would be such a thing as the establishment.'

Note, however, that this does not seem to have a very clear meaning.

Another possible, but less likely answer, is to simply flip the sentence.

'There would be no such thing as the establishment if it were up to me.'

Best wishes, Clive

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousWhat would the inverse of 'If it were up to me, there would be no such thing as the establishment,'?
The converse and the contropassive?Calling the contrapositive the contropassive is a very bad mistake. You need to pay a great deal more attention if you expect to succeed in your logic class.

Besides, the sentence you gave is not normally the kind of sentence to which these concepts are applied, as you can see by the strange results below.

And also, note that this is a forum for English grammar, not a logic class.

p = it is up to me
q = there is no such thing as the establishment

statement: if p then q | If it were up to me, there would be no such thing as the establishment.
converse: if q then p | If there were no such thing as the establishment, it would be up to me.
inverse: if not p then not q | If it were not up to me, there would be such a thing as the establishment.
contrapositive: if not q then not p | If there were such a thing as the establishment, it would not be up to me.

I recommend that you look at this:
http://www.jimloy.com/logic/converse.htm

CJ

Mister Micawber · Answer

Thank you, gentlemen.  I fought shy of this one.

Inverse, converse, and contropassive

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