I first encountered the term Reductio ad Absurdum in high school, when it was used as a proof that the square root of two was an irrational number. Literally it means "reduction to the absurd", and is a method of proving a claim untrue by assuming that it is true and then showing how utterly absurd everything would be if it were actually true, thus proving it false. A good example of the method in logical debate is shown in Wikipedia.

So, what am I doing naming a blog for my CW 198 class after a method of proof? Elementary, dear bloggers. Sarcasm in itself is a great application of reductio ad absurdum, and letter writers have been making good use of their tools. Sarcastic letters may be childish and sometimes conceited, but oftentimes they make a great point while remaining hella funny. You'll get what I mean after you read the next post, which will be Lesson 1.

I'm not limiting myself to letters, though---who know's what sorts of clever reductions to absurdities we'll find? In the meantime, all hail the silly and absurd!

[After all, without you, we wouldn't have anything to laugh at.]