Message-Id: <199407141732.AA07547@nfs1.digex.net> Reply-To: SLAUGHTER Date: Thu Jul 14 13:32:07 1994 Sender: Lojban list From: SLAUGHTER Subject: Re: cukta X-To: nsn X-Cc: lojban To: Bob LeChevalier Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Thu Jul 14 13:32:07 1994 X-From-Space-Address: LOJBAN%CUVMB.BITNET@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU NSN>And this one of the areas I was thinking about, when I said the other day NSN>that Lojban will probably succeed by failing in its avowed aims. Lojban NSN>(I claim) is built on a particular view of semantics: one in which {le jei NSN>da broda} is taken as 0 or 1 --- one in which you can make black or white NSN>judgements. X either is a book, or isn't. In that context, it is NSN>*meaningful* to ask "is a collection of blank pages bound together NSN>a book or not?" I just noticed that we may be confusing *semantic* truth with logical truth. I have read the introduction and first chapter of what appears to be an EXCELLENT book called "Elementary Applied Symbolic Logic", which is a college level intro textbook on logic using the formalism of symbolic predicate logic, whuch is where we Lojbanists get our grammar from. I read a definition of "predicate" which dramatically clarified for me what we mean by predicate/bridi in Lojban. The statement "I am a Klingon" is *logically* true, because it is gramatically properly formed, hence semantic input (wherther I am a Klingon or not) gives meaningful output. "I am a sleeping" is *logically* false, because it fails to parse (barring slang: "I am a-sleeping"; not what I meant). Hence it always gives 0/logical false regardless of input. Of course, the "I am a Klingon" is *semantically* false, because I am a human being. The book goes on to illustrate the difference between truth (0/1) and Truth (great cosmic understanding) I'd quote more directly, but the book is packed temporarily, as I'm moving, and I will be glad to dig it out after the move (expect it to be available early August) ************************************************************************** * Bob Slaughter * Model Railroading * * InterNet: Haldane@Pine.Circa.Ufl.Edu * is Fun!! * * * * * Bitnet: Haldane@UFPine * ask me about lojban * **************************************************************************