Not X But Y - a warning from the past

I was revisiting Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (2013) by philosopher Daniel C. Dennett - and was interested see that years before constructions like “Not X, but Y” became an indicator of AI writing, he was warning that they could also be a sign of a writer attempting a logical sleight of hand… ...

24 May 2026 · 4 min · 685 words · Terry