Re: What the *%$@ does "nu" mean?

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>]

>No offense to Lojbab, but I find this statement from
>John clearer than what Lojbab has been saying, & it
>would be nice to know whether Lojban Central endorses
>it.
>
>> I think that "nu"s are the types whereof things that actually happen
>> are the tokens, and "fasnu" asserts that a "nu" is actually
>> instantiated:  "lo nu la djan. cu cinba la geil. fasnu" asserts
>> that John kissed Gale (on the standard "ca'a" assumption for
>> "fasnu").

I buy this more or less, though the type/token distinction leads to some
problems, as I'll hit in a moment.

>So "re nu broda" is just as nonsensical as "re ka broda" and
>"re du`u broda".

It does not seem nonsensical to me.

re nu broda cu fasnu
seems to mean
pa nu broda cu reroi fasnu

On the other hand, I do not see much sense in re du'u broda, because
I don't know what the x2 of the du'u predicate would be.  re ka broda
doesn't mean anything to me, but I am not sure that I deny it meaning
because I haven't thouight about it before.



>I can buy this characterization of {lo}, but I think we must
>recognize that it makes no sense to say {mi viska lo nu broda}.
>One can't see an abstract entity.

"Seeing" is a process that involves the brain, which is capable of
distilling abstraactions from thesensory stimuli.  In fact, we don't actually
talk about the sensory stimuli that we really "see".  "*I see X photons of
Y Hertz impinging on my retina at an angle of Z".

Maybe it is that the nu abstraction itself is the type, but the x1 of
the
prediucate is a token/instantiation of the type (whether or not that token
"occurs" in reality or potentiality).  Does that help any?

>Also, it makes sense to say {mi nitcu lo nu broda} if and only
>if it does not make sense to say {mi nitcu lo fasnu}

Since the statement "lo nu broda cu fasnu" works, then lo nu broda and lo
fasnu have identical features semantically.  It is a syllogism that
lo nu broda cu fasnu
mi nitcu lo fasnu
=>mi nitcu lo nu broda

lojbab
----
lojbab                                                lojbab@access.digex.net
Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.
2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA                        703-385-0273
Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: ftp.access.digex.net /pub/access/lojbab
    or see Lojban WWW Server: href="http://xiron.pc.helsinki.fi/lojban/";
    Order _The Complete Lojban Language_ - see our Web pages or ask me.