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On Sat, Jan 11, 2003 at 06:35:02PM -0500, Invent Yourself wrote:
> On Sat, 11 Jan 2003, Jordan DeLong wrote:
> > On Sat, Jan 11, 2003 at 03:52:21PM -0500, Invent Yourself wrote:
> > > On Sat, 11 Jan 2003, Jordan DeLong wrote:
[...]
> > > > Can the Verification Principle be verified? Or is it just meaningless?
> > >
> > > Its presence can be verified if you design a test that determines if a
> > > person is following it, and subject someone to it. However, you probably
> > > meant to ask if the veracity of the principle could be tested or not. The
> > > answer is no; it's a prescription for human behavior, or a definition of
> > > the word "meaningful", not a statement about reality. However, "Pres.
> > > McGovern is more real than Sherlock Holmes" purports to be a statement
> > > about reality, but is actually meaningless.
> >
> > I disagree. "M is more real than SH" is a statement about the
> > amount of similarity between hypothetical circumstances and real
> > circumstances. It is not about reality only.
>
> simsa fi ma
Which propositions are true in that set of circumstances, and what
things exist, etc.
We can plainly say that Foo is more real than Bar if Foo differs
from reality in only a few propositions (and is still considered
"accessible", i.e. it'll differ in the neccesary manner to still
be internally consistent) and Bar differs by a comparitively larger
number.
> > But anyway, if the veracity of the VP can't be verified, then by
> > the VP we should view it as meaningless. So the VP is self-contradictory,
> > even if it is only supposed to be some sort of ethical code or
> > something, as you say.
>
> The VP constitutes my definition of "meaningful", and as a definition, it
> is not a statement about reality. The VP refers to statements that are
> alleged to be about reality.
Definitions are statements about reality. They are statements about
how words are used. If VP is really intended as a definition (which
it isn't honestly), it falls much short of how the word is actually
used and is thus a failure.
If you just wanted a word for that particular meaning, you would
use a different, new word instead of hijacking a word with an
established meaning.
Either way, the VP is meaningless by the VP definition of 'meaningless'.
--
Jordan DeLong - fracture@hidden.email
lu zo'o loi censa bakni cu terzba le zaltapla poi xagrai li'u
sei la mark. tuen. cusku
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