What is "non sequitur"

Non sequitur \Non seq"ui*tur\ [L., it does not follow.] (Logic) An inference which does not follow from the premises.

Latin, literally "it does not follow."

n. 1 Any abrupt and inexplicable transition or occurrence. 2 Any invalid argument in which the conclusion cannot be logically deduced from the premises; a logical fallacy. 3 A statement that does not logically follow a statement that came before it.

1. n. a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it

2. (logic) a conclusion that does not follow from the premises

A non sequitur ( Latin for "it does not follow"), in formal logic, is an argument with a conclusion that does not follow from its premise. In a non sequitur, the conclusion could be either true or false (because there is a disconnection between the premise and the conclusion), but the argument nonetheless asserts the conclusion to be true, and is thus fallacious. All invalid arguments are special cases of non sequitur. The term has special applicability in law, having a formal legal definition. Many types of known non sequitur argument forms have been classified into many types of logical fallacies.

Non Sequitur is a comic strip created by Wiley Miller (usually credited as just Wiley) in 1992 and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate to over 700 newspapers. The strip can be found online at gocomics.com, and it is also available via email and on mobile phones.

Translated from Latin as "it does not follow", Non Sequitur is often political and satirical, though other times, purely comedic.

The strip has undergone many changes through its history. Originally, the comic was a single panel gag cartoon, similar to Gary Larson's The Far Side. It grew more political (from a moderately liberal perspective) in tone during the 1990s, to the point where it often became a borderline editorial cartoon. Today, the comic has become more traditional, with a multi-panel format and recurring characters. The horizontal daily strip is sometimes used as a single panel. The Sunday strip is vertical.

Non Sequitur has been honored with four National Cartoonists Society Awards, including the Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1995, 1996 and 1998, and the Newspaper Panels Award for 2002. It is the only comic strip to win in its first year of syndication and the only title to ever win both the best comic strip and best comic panel categories.

A non sequitur (; "it does not follow") is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is something said that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what preceded it, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing.

This use of the term is distinct from the non sequitur in logic, where it is a fallacy.

Non sequitur or sequitur may refer to:

• Non sequitur (literary device), an irrelevant, often humorous comment to a preceding topic or statement
• Non sequitur (logic), a logical fallacy where a stated conclusion is not supported by its premise and therefore the conclusion is arbitrary.
• Non Sequitur (comic strip), a comic strip by Wiley Miller
• "Non Sequitur" (Star Trek: Voyager), an episode of Star Trek: Voyager
• Sequitur algorithm, a recursive algorithm

"Non Sequitur" is the 21st episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the fifth episode in the second season.