From pycyn@aol.com Fri Oct 12 06:11:14 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: Pycyn@aol.com X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-8_0_0); 12 Oct 2001 13:11:14 -0000 Received: (qmail 60904 invoked from network); 12 Oct 2001 13:11:12 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.27) by l9.egroups.com with QMQP; 12 Oct 2001 13:11:12 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO imo-m09.mx.aol.com) (64.12.136.164) by mta2 with SMTP; 12 Oct 2001 13:11:09 -0000 Received: from Pycyn@aol.com by imo-m09.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v31_r1.8.) id r.106.6f482b0 (4007) for ; Fri, 12 Oct 2001 09:11:05 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <106.6f482b0.28f845e9@aol.com> Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 09:11:05 EDT Subject: Re: [lojban] "knowledge as to who saw who" readings To: lojban@yahoogroups.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_106.6f482b0.28f845e9_boundary" X-Mailer: AOL 6.0 for Windows US sub 10535 From: pycyn@aol.com X-Yahoo-Profile: kaliputra X-Yahoo-Message-Num: 11528 --part1_106.6f482b0.28f845e9_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable In a message dated 10/11/2001 11:14:36 PM Central Daylight Time,=20 jjllambias@hotmail.com writes: > la pycyn cusku di'e >=20 > >I don't understand what bamboozlement you are talking about. 'a=3Db' tel= ls us > >that the thing called by the name 'a' is identical with the thing calle= d=20 > >by > >the name 'b,' that is, that they are the same thing, despite their names= . >=20 > I think that would have to be {zo ko'a dunli zo ko'e le ka ce'u > sinxa makau}. It's a claim about the references more than about >=20 Well, that will do, too. But the first does this very nicely -- see Frege= =20 again, who, alas, did not write in Lojban, but the translations work just t= he=20 same. I don't get the point of this analogy: what is analogous to what? How does= =20 this say anything about identity? Using {ko'V}, which have no sense to spe= ak=20 of and out of context precious little in usable reference either makes it=20 hard to see what you intend to have going on. Imagine staring a conversati= on=20 wiht "It is the same as her" and expecting anyone to make sense of it (no=20 gestures allowed, even). The point of {abu du by}, where it is assumed th= at=20 both of these already have some significance to the speaker and hearer, is= =20 that the two things known separately are in fact one. Similarly, if we kno= w=20 who ko'a and ko'e are, finding out that the one is friend of the other is=20 interesting new informatation. In neither case is it meant to help us=20 identify those involved, if that is the point you are trying to make. This= =20 is logical identity, not computer variable assignment here. If I sorta=20 understand what you are vaguely trying to say. Well, since I don't think the English is ambiguous (betweeen what and what,= =20 by the way?) and think that Lojban reads exactly the same (note thatI did=20 not, in fact, use English but symbols), I don't see how Lojban provides a=20 solution to whatever problem you have made here. < =A0=A0 su'o da poi grute ku'o su'o de poi pelxu zo'u da du de =A0=A0 For some x which is a fruit and some y which is yellow, x=3Dy. Is that about reference?> Yep; it says that the two approaches end up referring to the same thing. --part1_106.6f482b0.28f845e9_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable In a message dated 10/11/2001 11:14:36 PM Central Daylight Time, jjllambi= as@hotmail.com writes:


la pycyn cusku di'e

>I don't understand what bamboozlement you are talking about. 'a=3Db= ' tells us
>that the thing called  by the name 'a' is identical with the t= hing called=20
>by
>the name 'b,' that is, that they are the same thing, despite their = names.

I think that would have to be {zo ko'a dunli zo ko'e le ka ce'u
sinxa makau}. It's a claim about the references more than about
the referents.


Well, that will do, too.  But the first does this very nicely -- s= ee Frege again, who, alas, did not write in Lojban, but the translations wo= rk just the same.

<Consider another relationship: {ko'a pendo ko'e}. In order to prope= rly
understand and evaluate that claim it is first necessary to identify
the referents of {ko'a} and {ko'e}. Of course, the claim can also be
used to identify the referent of {ko'a} if we already know what
the referent of {ko'e} is and we know who are ko'e's friends. But
this second use is accidental, it's like getting to the meaning of
the sentence through a backdoor. Answering {ko'a ki'a} with
{ko'a pendo ko'e} will work pragmatically, but it gives me the
creeps logically. The same applies to using {ko'a du ko'e} for
that purpose.>

I don't get the point of this analogy: what is analogous to what? How d= oes this say anything about identity?  Using {ko'V}, which have no sen= se to speak of and out of context precious little in usable reference eithe= r makes it hard to see what you intend to have going on.  Imagine star= ing a conversation wiht "It is the same as her" and expecting anyone to mak= e sense of it (no gestures  allowed, even).  The point of {abu du= by}, where it is assumed that both of these already have some significance= to the speaker and hearer, is that the two things known separately are in = fact one.  Similarly, if we know who ko'a and ko'e are, finding out th= at the one is friend of the other is interesting new informatation.  I= n neither case is it meant to help us identify those involved, if that is t= he point you are trying to make.  This is logical identity, not comput= er variable assignment here.  If I sorta understand what you are vague= ly trying to say.

<I wish you would give Lojban examples. I know this can cause
ambiguity in English, but I thought Lojban was good precisely
at sorting these things out.>

Well, since I don't think the English is ambiguous (betweeen what and w= hat, by the way?) and think that Lojban reads exactly the same (note thatI = did not, in fact, use English but symbols), I don't see how Lojban provides= a solution to whatever problem you have made here.

<

=A0=A0 su'o da poi grute ku'o su'o de poi pelxu zo'u da du de
=A0=A0 For some x which is a fruit and some y which is yellow, x=3Dy.

Is that about reference?>

Yep; it says that the two approaches end up referring to the same thing= .


--part1_106.6f482b0.28f845e9_boundary--