Q&A: Self-Reference – Lesson 5
Self-Reference – Lesson 5
Question
Following up on the objections and questions about Aharoni’s method raised in the lesson, here is another idea:
In algebraic terminology, according to his definition, disconnection is a transformation that can be applied to the field of propositions. The question is whether there are also propositions that include self-reference (according to his method) that are idempotent with respect to the disconnection transformation. If there are such propositions, they are probably necessarily philosophical propositions (since disconnection does not help in their case, and they contain self-reference). For example, one might think of something along the lines of: “Does the world exist as it is perceived by the senses of all creatures in the world?” It is impossible to perform an effective disconnection, because the collective reference here includes everyone to whom the proposition could be “disconnected.”
Answer
That is indeed an equivalent formulation, but you have not shown that there are such propositions. Your formulation sidesteps the problem rather than solving it. After all, the question is not about all creatures, but about each one for itself, as it perceives itself. And therefore, for each one of them, a disconnection transformation can be performed.