Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Analyticity and circularity

"No bachelor is married" can be turned into "No unmarried man is married" because "bachelor" is defined as "unmarried man". But, Quine asks: how do we find out that "bachelor" is defined as "unmarried man"? Clearly, a dictionary would not solve the problem, as a dictionary is a report of already known synonyms, and thus is dependent on the notion of synonymy, which Quine holds as unexplained.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Dogmas_of_Empiricism


  • In Chapter 19, Definition 1, Leibniz writes: "Two terms are the same (eadem) if one can be substituted for the other without altering the truth of any statement (salva veritate)."
  • In Chapter 20, Definition 1, Leibniz writes: "Terms which can be substituted for one another wherever we please without altering the truth of any statement (salva veritate), are the same (eadem) or coincident (coincidentia). For example, 'triangle' and 'trilateral', for in every proposition demonstrated by Euclid concerning 'triangle', 'trilateral' can be substitutedwithout loss of truth (salva veritate)."
The literal translation of the Latin "salva veritate" is "with unharmed truth", using ablative of manner.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

And on that note,


The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture "This is a pipe," I'd have been lying!- Rene Magritte

The painting is not a pipe, but rather an image of a pipe, which was Magritte's point. Reminds me of Kant's metaphysical theory of phenomenon- how the phenomenal world is constructed by our minds. and -ness. What we perceive by way of our senses (it is all we know about the world) - how real is it?
mangled thoughts :( again.

Maps and History



The Paradox Of Cartography: if a map is to be useful, then it must of necessity be imperfect


History is inherently biased because it dependent on the historian who records it. "It is impossible for that person to include everything, just as it is ineffective for a cartographer to include every detail of the place he is trying to map."

We have neither of us anything to tell; you, because you do not communicate, and I, because I conceal nothing

Today i watched sense and sensibility and i missed england and classic lit that was effortless and enjoyable.
Had a lovely lunch with BATAMAPRIYA DAUGHTER OF VEERIAHHHHHH at kenny rogers (haha i typed keeny rogers first) which left the following satisfying results:
1) she's going to lose a bet and pay me $2 i'm sure of it
2) my theories about us all turning into robots because of the cyber world are not complete nuts
3) catch up session and i love my friends basically

and now i'm wondering what sort of blog this will turn out to be. my original plan was for it to be full of philosophical musing but i suppose it will be a random collection on my life.
so long
farewell

LOL

can't wait for germany.

goodbye, silence

hello vulnerability