From my understanding of logic, there is made the distinction between objects and descriptions of objects. For example, the relation "is less than" is considered different from the relation symbol < So what you said makes sense.
Bruno Marchal wrote: > Hi Ronald, > > > On 02 Jun 2009, at 16:45, ronaldheld wrote: > > >> Bruno: >> Since I program in Fortran, I am uncertain how to interpret things. >> > > I was alluding to old, and less old, disputes again programmers, about > which programming language to prefer. > It is a version of Church Thesis that all algorithm can be written in > FORTRAN. But this does not mean that it is relevant to define an > algorithm by a fortran program. I thought this was obvious, and I was > using that "known" confusion to point on a similar confusion in Set > Theory, like Langan can be said to perform. > > In Set Theorist, we still find often the error consisting in defining > a mathematical object by a set. I have done that error in my youth. > What you can do, indeed, is to *represent* (almost all) mathematical > objects by sets. Langan seems to make that mistake. > > The point is just that we have to distinguish a mathematical object > and the representation of that object in some mathematical theory. > > I will have the opportunity to give a precise example in the 7th > thread later. > > In usual mathematical practice, this mistake is really not important, > yet, in logic it is more important to take into account that > distinction, and then in cognitive science it is *very* important. > Crucial, I would say. The error consisting in identifying > consciousness and brain state belongs to that family, for example. To > confuse a person and its body belongs to that family of error too. > > All such error are of the form of the confusion between the Moon and > the finger which point to the moon, or the confusion between a map and > the territory. > > I have nothing against the use of FORTRAN. On the contrary I have a > big respect for that old venerable high level programming language :) > > Bruno > > > > http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/ > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---