Philosophy 251
General Information for Completing Writing Assignments:
(i) Each assignment is worth up to ten points. You will get one point for providing the correct answer and up to nine points for clearly and concisely justifying whatever answer you give. Note, that the emphasis is on justifying your solution regardless of whether it is correct or not. (Imagine that you are writing a solution that is to appear in a magazine in which the problem was presented in an earlier issue. Hence, you need to clearly and fully explain why the answer is the way it is, such that the readers will understand exactly why the answer is the way it is.) Below are some questions that I will ask when evaluating your assignments.
(ii) All assignments must be your own individual and independent work and be pledged. By 'your own individual and independent work' I understand that the student will not have discussed the assignment with any other individual or looked at any other individual's solution prior to the assignment being handed in.
(iii) All assignments are to be done on separate sheets of paper. Each sheet of paper must have your name on it.
(iv) Late assignments receive no credit.
Knights, Knaves, and Mediators
In the land of Trivale there are three types of natives, Knights, Knaves, and Mediators. Knights always tell the truth; Knaves always lie; and Mediators can lie or tell the truth as they please. One day, Jeremiah, a visitor to Trivale, comes across three natives, Lucinda, Oscar, and Pauline. Though Jeremiah does not know who is what, he does know that one is a Knight, another is a Knave, and the remaining individual is a Mediator. Luckily for Jeremiah, the three make the following statements:
Lucinda: Either I am a Mediator or Oscar is a Knight.
Oscar: Either I am a Mediator or Pauline is a Knave.
Pauline: Either I am a Mediator or Lucinda is a Knight.
Given this data, is it possible to determine which native is the Mediator? Justify your answer.
Due: Monday, April 8, at the beginning of class.