From Pycyn@xxx.xxx Sun Dec 12 02:12:13 1999 X-Digest-Num: 308 Message-ID: <44114.308.1693.959273825@eGroups.com> Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 05:12:13 EST From: Pycyn@xxx.xxx Subject: Re: "what i have for dinner" << > On the other hand, it could be argued that if I wonder who came then > it does follow that "I want that (Ax) (I know whether x came)". I think this is an excessively robust kind of wondering. If I wonder who wrote the book of love (from a doo-wop song, full lyric available at http://www.fiftiesweb.com/lyrics/booklove.htm), it does not follow that I actually want to know this: my curiosity may be quite idle. >> "Wonder" is inherently a weak kind of inquiry: one can 'just wonder' as a dismissal of any question in a way that one can 'just investigate',' say, only in contrast with very serious action, like seeking indictments. But more importantly, "I wonder who..." can't be "for all x, I wonder whether x..." since there are a lot of x's that I do not know or believe about, and many that I actively believe do not exist. I no more wonder about them than I do about the many others that I am convinced do not ... . Note that the "whether" also requires both the negative and the positive answers, whereas the original seeks only the positive, though negative ones help, of course. Putting the quantifier inside the "want" (or, for "wonder," "sorta like") may help some, since those already move into opaque realms, though different ones from the realm of "know" (I can want something I know does not exist -- and often do). pc