Logic 7 - Gradient scales are necessary to the evaluation of problems and their data.
This is the tool of infinity-valued logic: Absolutes are unobtainable. Terms such as good and bad, alive and dead, right and wrong are used only in conjunction with gradient scales. On the scale of right and wrong, everything above zero or center would be more and more right, approaching an infinite rightness, and everything below center would be more and more wrong, approaching infinite wrongness. All things assisting the survival of the survivor are considered to be right for the survivor. All things inhibiting survival from the viewpoint of the survivor can be considered wrong for the survivor. The more a thing assists survival, the more it can be considered right for the survivor; the more a thing or action inhibits survival, the more it is wrong from the viewpoint of the intended survivor.
COROLLARY: Any datum has only relative truth.
COROLLARY: Truth is relative to environments, experience and truth.
This is one of the most important of the Logics. A gradient scale is a scale going from a theoretical minus infinity, through zero to a theoretical plus infinity. The scale is divided into small steps or gradients. An example would be if you were trying to decide which applicant to accept for a job. You would create a scale with perhaps -100 on the left, 0 in the middle and +100 on the right. You could divide the scale into steps of 1. The "absolutely perfect" applicant would be rated at +100 and the "absolutely unacceptable" applicant would be rated at -100. Now you evaluate the applicants giving them a number of positive points for attributes that you want and negative points for attributes you don't want. After doing this you will find your applicants somewhere on your scale and you'd choose the one with the highest rating.
Using such a method you avoid the errors of two-valued logic - "Is this applicant perfect for the job or not? No, then reject him." Using that method you will never find anyone because, as we learned from Logic 6, "Absolutes are unobtainable."
It also avoids the errors of single-valued logic - "Whoever we choose our fate is predetermined so it doesn't matter who we choose, Just pick anyone."
The two corollaries are also important. "Any datum has only relative truth." If I say "I live on planet Earth," that is true, and if I say, "I live in the USA," that is also true. Both statements have relative truth. How relatively true does a datum need to be? My answer would be look at the 2nd corollary, "Truth is relative to environments, experience and truth." If you want to visit me at home then, "I live in the USA" doesn't get the product, it's not relatively true enough for the environment it is being applied to.
Another example would be if you told me "I need six screws to fix this door." I give you six screws but they are all too small. So you say "I need six screws bigger than these to fix this door." So I give you six screws that are too big. Well, both requests were true but they were not relatively true enough to get the door fixed. Now you say, "I need six screws, two inches long and 3/8 inches in diameter." Now we have a fixed door.
Without infinity-valued logic and gradient scales decision making becomes more guesswork or luck than logic.
