From LOJBAN%CUVMB.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.YALE.EDU Sat Mar 6 22:53:06 2010 Received: from YALEVM.YCC.YALE.EDU by MINERVA.CIS.YALE.EDU via SMTP; Tue, 6 Jul 1993 16:50:47 -0400 Received: from YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU by YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 2353; Tue, 06 Jul 93 16:49:23 EDT Received: from YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@YALEVM) by YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU (LMail V1.1d/1.7f) with BSMTP id 4282; Tue, 6 Jul 1993 16:49:22 -0400 Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1993 13:46:26 -0700 Reply-To: hedgehog@SCRIPPS.EDU Sender: Lojban list From: hedgehog@SCRIPPS.EDU Subject: A question about nothing. X-To: lojban@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: Erik Rauch X-Status: Status: O X-From-Space-Date: Tue Jul 6 06:46:26 1993 X-From-Space-Address: @YaleVM.YCC.YALE.EDU:LOJBAN@CUVMB.BITNET Message-ID: The question about "This statement is false" reminded me of another interesting logic puzzle trick: Prove that a ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness. 1) Nothing is better than eternal happiness. 2) But, a ham sandwich is better than nothing. 3) If A is better than B and B is better than C then A is better than C. QED. The trick seems to be that the word "nothing" is used in two different ways in the first and second parts of the argument. Since Lojban is less ambiguous does it have two different words for these two meanings of "nothing"? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Schroeder hedgehog@scripps.edu The opinions expressed are my own and not those of TSRI or its funding agencies. ----------------------------------------------------------------------