Friday, October 19, 2007

Inconsistent Definitions

Though I said in my previous post that you can ultimately define words to mean whatever you want, I'm now going to point out that this isn't true. For example, I can't define something that is obviously impossible, or create a system of axioms that is inconsistent. Furthermore, it is difficult or impossible to prove that definitions or axioms are self-consistent. Proving consistency, in fact, would require a framework within an even bigger system, which itself may be inconsistent.

Now that I've poked large holes in my own argument, will I move on to less philosophical topics where I actually know what I'm talking about? Perhaps.

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