Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 07:24:53 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <199712171224.HAA19843@locke.ccil.org> Reply-To: And Rosta Sender: Lojban list From: And Rosta Organization: University of Central Lancashire Subject: Re: xor questions (was Re: indirect Qs (was Re: On logji lo X-To: LOJBAN@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: John Cowan Status: OR X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 Content-Length: 754 X-From-Space-Date: Wed Dec 17 07:24:57 1997 X-From-Space-Address: LOJBAN@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU John to me to Jorge: > > > But is that really what we want to ask? An unhelpful answer like > > > {lo selpinxe} or {lo glare} would make the bridi true. (Same thing > > > happens with your other versions.) > > > > If {ma} really does mean "replace this word with another than > > makes the bridi true", then this problem does exist. > > It exists, but so what? Any questioner has to allow for the > possibility of unhelpful (evasive, obscure, frame-breaking) answers. The problem is not a problem with communication involving averagely cooperative interlocutors. But it is a problem with trying to formalize out intuitions about what the question is really asking. In other words, it's the sort of problem that matters to few save Jorge and me. --And