Vulcan logic
1
9.4
- noun
- /ˈvʌlkən ˈlɒdʒɪk/
- Mr. Spock would have been proud of my application of Vulcan logic.
Examples
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Using Vulcan logic, she calmly analyzed the situation without letting her emotions cloud her judgment.
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In a heated discussion, he relied on Vulcan logic to present his points clearly and rationally.
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Her argument was rooted in Vulcan logic, emphasizing evidence over feelings to persuade the audience.
How Logical
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable: 'Vulcan' denotes the Star Trek species known for strict, emotion-suppressing rationality, and 'logic' denotes reasoning, so 'Vulcan logic' straightforwardly means a strictly rational, unemotional way of reasoning. The noun-noun attributive pattern ("X logic" = the logic typical of X) is a common, compositional English pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Vulcan logic comes from the very calm, reason-focused thinking of the Star Trek character Mr. Spock. Imagine a Vulcan using pure logic with no feelings to make a choice, and that's why the phrase means 'strictly rational and unemotional'.