Re: truths and knowledge

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

>I would like that you answer one of my examples. Consider
>saying these two things:
>
>(1) "I have two children but John knows that I really have only one."
>
>(2) "I have two children but John is absolutely convinced that I really
>       have only one."
>
>--More--
>Do you agree that most people would find (1) odd and (2)
>quite acceptable? If you do, how do you explain it?

Very simply.  We do not normally imagine that there could be any subjectivity
to a statement abiut how many children that I have.

Now if you put this in the past tense, and start bring in the abortion
debaters, you might indeed see:

John knows that I have only one child, but I really have two children
because I consider the aborted/stillborn child to also be my child.

(As an adoptive parent who has heard what brthmothers have had to say about
kids thaey gave up 20 years ago, this one hits close to home in the related
sense - that most people "know" that the borthmother has no children, and the
LAW says that she has no children, but she still knows hereself that the
child she gave up is hers. - I note also that other birthmothers say exactly
the opposite, but they tend to be less vocal).

lojbab