Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 20:40:33 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <199801290140.UAA18034@locke.ccil.org> Reply-To: Goran Topic Sender: Lojban list From: Goran Topic Subject: Re: truths and knowledge X-To: lojban@cuvmb.columbia.edu To: John Cowan X-UIDL: 4f09c32ed67bd54e27ac3047b5b7dd5e Status: U X-Mozilla-Status: 8011 X-From-Space-Date: Thu Jan 29 12:42:03 1998 X-From-Space-Address: - Translation follows below. >>>(1) "I have two children but John knows that I really have only one." >>> >>>(2) "I have two children but John is absolutely convinced that I really >>> have only one." >But my question was not in what scenario (1) could be acceptable. >My question was why in our world, where you do have two children, >(1) is unacceptable while (2) is acceptable. What is it that makes them >so different? ni'o de'u pamoi loi selci'a pe la'edi'u ku poi mi selbe'i .iseki'ubo mi ka'e naldu'o ba'e da la'ede'u .iku'i le selji'i be mi cu lambalvi no'ipe'i la'edi'e te frica zo djuno zo jinvi .i fautu'a zo birti le birti cu merli cei broda lo kamjetnu .i lenu lo birti cu frica lo cusku .i ri ka'e frica ra lo se jinvi .iku'i fautu'a zo djuno le ba'e cusku cu broda .i le merli be jinvi kujoi le cusku cu pamei .i ri ka'enai simfrica da va'o 2) .i le broda pe lenu mi selbe'a cudu la djan. .i vedu'o di'u mi selbe'a reda gi'e mi djuno ledu'u la djan. cu birti ledu'u mi selbe'a pada va'o 1) .i le broda pe lenu mi selbe'a cudu mi .i vedu'o di'u mi selbe'a reda gi'eku'i mi selbe'a pada .ijeji'a mi djuno ledu'u la djan. birti la'edi'u di'u roroi jai jitfa This is the first mail I have received on this topic, and so I am not quite sure if I know what I am talking about, but here goes: I think this is the difference between "to be convinced" and "to know": Being certain is subjective to the person who is certain. The person who is convinced of something is not the same person who is uttering the sentence. They can differ in their opinions. Knowing, though, is subjective to the speaker. The evaluator of truth-value is the same person as the utterer - thus they cannot be different, in anything. (This is one of those things that I believe go simpler in lojban than English. If you haven't understood a word of this, don't worry. Try lojban. Or the examples.) co'o mi'e. goran. -- Goran Topic amadan@usa.net