From xod@bway.net Thu Aug 26 07:49:20 1999 X-Digest-Num: 222 Message-ID: <44114.222.1223.959273825@eGroups.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 10:49:20 -0400 (EDT) From: xod Subject: Re: Anselmisms and gadro On 26 Aug 1999 mark@kli.org wrote: > From: mark@kli.org > > >Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 03:10:33 -0400 (EDT) > >From: xod > > > >From: xod > > > >On Thu, 26 Aug 1999, John Cowan wrote: > > > >> From: John Cowan > >> > >> mark@kli.org scripsit: > >> > >> > if there actually are no real-life fairies, I'd think my statement would be > >> > considered true. Statements about members of the nullset are true, right? > >> > >> No. A statement about *every* member of the null set may count as true, > >> but statements about specific members are clearly false. > >> "All purple rhinos are green" counts as true iff we read it as > >> "For all x, x is a purple rhino -> x is green." > > > >If "All purple rhinos are green" is true, then "One fifth of all purple > >rhinos are green" must also be true. > > But "one fifth of all purple rhinos" is qualitatively different from "some > purple rhino." The first is still referring to the set or portions of it. > The second is presuming the existence of particular members. Is that how > you'd see it, John? Whatever applies to a set must also apply to the subsets. ----- When somebody says, here is this nice thing that you will enjoy using but if you share it with your neighbor we'll call you a pirate and put you in jail, they are polluting society's most important resource, which is goodwill, the willingness to cooperate with other people. -- RMS