From: gts (gts@optexinc.com)
Date: Sat Oct 12 2002 - 16:45:32 MDT
Jef Allbright wrote:
> Why is that people can discuss this topic endlessly without progressing to
> some common understanding?
>
> As with other topics, it's because both sides are right -- within the
> context that they are personally arguing/defending..
As I touched upon in a previous message, I wonder if the futility of this
debate represents evidence in support of the philosophy underlying the
English language variant known as E-Prime, in which the verb "to be" does
not appear in any of its forms. In the past I never wrote or spoke in favor
of E-Prime but in light of this discussion it now appears to have some
possible value to me.
In an E-Prime world, questions about the possible equivalance of the
identities of two emulations cannot appear. Such questions disappear as
meaningless and unspeakable. My emulation appears to me simply as a person
who looks like me, who uses the same name as me, and who often thinks and
acts like me. I can say nothing more about him, nor should I. His life and
mine appear to each of as actions rather than as things, such that verbs
represent us better than nouns.
I would challenge people here to try debating these questions in E-Prime to
see if they can present their arguments accurately. I wrote this message in
E-Prime.
-gts
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