Subject: Re: UI for 'possible' (was: Re: [lojban] Bible translation stylequestion)

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 20:35:13 EST

In a message dated 1/30/2002 6:30:25 PM Central Standard Time, 
[email-masked] writes:

> I can see what the distinction might be, but I wonder if there is one
> in practice. Is there any sentence 'broda' such that it would be
> reasonable for someone to say '.i la'a broda .i ku'i ju'onaicai broda'
> 
> Anything like 'ju'ocu'i' instead of 'cumki' is assuming that 'cumki'
> really does indicate only a middle value on a scale of
> certainty/probability. A different meaning of 'cumki' doesn't limit
> the degree of certainty/probability. If something is certain, it's
> also possible.
> 

{cumki} is about possibility, not probability -- an absolute, not a scalar, 
for one thing. Also a logical not an empirical notion, except conditionally. 
Probability is also usually subjective, possibility is only in conditional 
cases (where the conditions are not spelled out very well). In probability 
terms, possibility excludes only 0 from the range, so it is neither the weak 
end or the middle, though rhetorically it tends to be used for the lower side 
of things (in English with a certain inflection). Certainty is subjective 
and comparable but not scalar and not empirical. It is, in fact, totally 
separate (except in idealized observers) either probability or possibility, 
as most theists and atheists recognize. To the extent that certainty and 
probability coincide, probability looses its empirical base or certainty 
becomes less subjective (that is, we misues one concept or the other). I 
regret I can't come up with a good case of an impossible thing of which 
someone is certain, but since most things are possible it really is rather 
hard to do. God does nicely for highly improbable things of which someone is 
certain, however.
Since {la'a} is probably used like "probably" to indicate at least better 
than .5, someone who held that subjective assessment would almost certainly 
not have a *strong* doubt about it, but he might well have a doubt about it.