Re: Numbers, Machine and Father Ted

From: Brent Meeker <meekerdb.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:45:51 -0800

Tom Caylor wrote:
> 1Z wrote:
>> Bruno Marchal wrote:
>>> Le 09-nov.-06, à 14:07, 1Z a écrit :
>>>
>>>> Bruno Marchal wrote:
>>>>> Le 31-oct.-06, à 19:37, 1Z a écrit :
>>>>>
>>>>>> Well, I think numbers don't exist AT ALL....
>>>>> I have not the slightest idea what you mean by that.
>>>> If you don't understand anti-Platonism, that would certainly explain
>>>> why you don't argue against it.
>>>
>>> I still don't understand what you mean by numbers does not exist at
>>> all.
>>> If that is "antiplatonism", it would help me if you could explain
>>> what is "antiplatonism", or better what could it mean that the numbers
>>> don't exist. We already agree they don't exist physically, but saying
>>> they does not exist at all ???
>> It means they don't non-physically exist either.
>>
>> Mathematical claims about existence can be true
>> of false, but so can fictional claims like "Harry Potter exists
>> in Middle Earth"
>>
>>> Even Licorne exists in some sense,
>>> without referent in "the physical world", but with referent (meaning)
>>> in some fantasy worlds?
>> Fantasy worlds don't exist -- that's why they are called fantasy
>> worlds, --
>> Licornes don't exist, and Licornes' don't exist in fantasy worlds.
>>
>> Meaning is *not* the same thing as reference (Bedeutung). That is the
>> box the anti-Platonist has climbed out of. Some terms have
>> referents (non-linguistic items they denote), others have only
>> "sense" (Sinn). Sense and reference are two dimensions
>> aspects of meaning, but not every term has both.
>> Sense is internal to langauge, it a relationship between a
>> word/concept
>> and others. It is like a dictionary definition, whereas reference is
>> like
>> defining a word by pointing and saying "it is one of those".
>> But no-one has ever defined a Licorne that way, since
>> there is no Licorne to be pointed to. Mathematical concepts
>> are defined in terms of other mathematical concepts.
>> Mathematical reference is impossible and unnecessary.
>>
>>> Why could numbers not exist in some similar
>>> sense, except that the number fantasy kiks back (as Tom has recalled
>>> recently).
>> Saying that Licornes exist in a fantasy world
>> is a cumbersome way of saying they don't
>> literally exist. Well, numbers don't literally
>> kick back. They don't interact causally
>> with my reality.
>
> What about:
> If (2^32582657)-1 is a prime number, I will not eat my hat.
> In all possible worlds where I always keep my promises, I will not eat
> my hat.
> This is causally a result of the fact that (2^32582657)-1 is a prime
> number.
>
> Tom
I think a clue is in the fact that you picked (2^32582657 -1) instead of 7.
Brent Meeker
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Received on Fri Nov 10 2006 - 16:46:16 PST

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