Everything is a Gator
by Wanda Le Sabre

In Propositional Logic every statement is either true or false - there is no third way. For example, the proposition "I am a brilliant editor" is either true or not true. Furthermore, if a statement is false then its opposite is true. So, if "I am a brilliant editor" is a false statement, then its opposite "I am not a brilliant editor" must be true.

By the same token, the proposition "Everything is a gator" is either true or not true. If it is false, then its opposite must be true. The opposite of "everything" is "nothing", which gives us the proposition "Nothing is a gator". Now, this statement is clearly false, for gators certainly exist - we've seen as many gators around Gator Springs as we've seen aliens. This means that its opposite must be true. Therefore, "Everything is a gator" must be a true statement.

My point in this exercise is that truth is fickle, no matter how logical someone's argument may seem to be. In this issue we have two works which will mess with your mind - one will twist the meaning of 'kafkaesque' forever and the other takes its surreal inspiration from one of the great realist painters, Edward Hopper. And then there is Hannah.

You are about to discover what lies beyond the fifth dimension; beyond the deepest, darkest corner of the imagination - or, we must logically propose, you are not.

© Wanda Le Sabre 2001

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