In a message dated 11/3/2015 5:59:44 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx writes:
God must be limited in imagination. I can think of a lot more than 613
ways to sin. Just saying.
By uttering
i. Just saying
Geary is being Grellingian (vide the Grelling paradox) in that (i)
IMPLICATES; and, therefore,
ii. Geary is NOT just saying.
since he is also implicating.
And to God, on top.
The idea that the commandments (or mitzvahs) are 613 is controversial, but
indeed Geary makes a good point. It happened to Grice!
When he proposed his decalogue there were soon those who tried to minimise
it, i.e. prove that some maxim reduces to another maxim and so that there
were FEWER than ten commandments. Grice is somewhat victim of this when,
trying again to be Kantian, says that it's not possible to think of all
different commandments unless 'flowing' from an overarching GENERAL PRINCIPLE
of
rationality.
But there were the opposite group too, those who would multiply
commandments without necessity (Occam's necessity). This would turn the
Griceian
enterprise 'ad hoc' as Popper would have it. And so Grice disliked the
multiplication of commandments before ten.
"Sin" may be the right word, but then it might not. Apparently, many of
thiese 'mitzvahs' have to do with minor questions of Jewish etiquette, where
he who infringes a commandment is seen as 'impolite' or 'rude' rather than a
sinner. They don't seem to relate to the sins which are fortunately only
SEVEN -- with gluttony being one of them -- the pride of the French!
As to God being limited, Anselm would be charmed, because he thought,
wrongly, that you can PROVE the existence of the denotatum for the word "God"
by
noting that he is UNLIMITED. Gilbert and Sullivan pour scorn on this in
their operetta, "Utopia, Limited", but some say that is a different use of
"Limited", and usually abbreviated as "Ltd" but it's a British thing.
Cheers,
Speranza
Grice's Decalogue
1. Try to make your conversational contribution as informative as is
required.
2. Do not make your conversational contribution more informative than is
required.
3. Try to make your conversational contribution one that is true.
4. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
5. Be relevant.
6. Avoid obscurity of expression.
7. Be orderly.
8. Be brief (avoid unnecesary prolixity [sic]).
9. Be orderly.
10. Frame whatever you say in the form most suitable for any reply that
would be regarded as appropriate; or, facilitate in your form of expression
the appropriate reply.
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