Definitions make no difference to anything. Any imbecile can call her cat "euler's theorem." And euler's theorem is wholly unaffected by the idiocies of naming practices. The confusion, to reiterate is not seeing that euler's theorem IS (the is of identity) and is not (the is of "{nomination"}? Whatever the frigging fuck that is) and so on. Confusing different ways of the copula generates precisely fregean issues, Frege who was not confused noted that the isofidentity is at work in themorningstar IS theeveningstar, hence he noticed, correctly that naming practicing are the confused outputs of confused minds (human minds) who need Sinn und Bedeutung because they do not manage identities. As for the question posed by "eric" the symphony si the symphony, which ontology eric likes is utterly irrelevant, if eric think it is identical with a performance that is one of the possible choices, that, to reiterate, makes no difference to the truth of identity statements, note that if it is false that 'tenth by ds etc. etc." is identical with 'performance xxxyyxx' then it is false hence it proposes no interesting objection not different ontologies. If it is true and the burden of argument is on she who thinks so, then it is not a definition, it is fact, namely that the tenth symphony is performance xxxyyxx. If it is true, then the claim is debatable but interesting, if it is false is so far off way beside the point that nobody cares, since it is as false as 'the 10th etc. is my sister' -----Original Message----- From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Eric Sent: 30 September 2014 11:35 To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] ...the collapse of distinctions is rhetoric, but whose? >> One can think about Euler's theorem by means of ink marks (it is done >> everywhere everywhen) it doesn't follow the theorem is ink marks or even is >> about ink marks. I think it is not the collapse of distinctions at stake here, but the erudite Palma's refusal to consider any distinctions except the ones he is interested in. Euler's Theorem is, inter alia: 1. The basic theorem as written; 2. A relation of co-primes in arithmetic; 3. A good name for a rock band; 4. The entire paper Euler presented describing the theorem; 5. An amateur mathematician's understanding of the theorem, as opposed to a brilliant mathematician's understanding of the theorem. 6. A memory of the theorem as it appears in a dream (e.g., "The bespectacled duck kept shouting, 'Euler's Theorem!'") 7. An anagram of Shoetree Lemur; 8. Part of a set of things that most world leaders could not define; 9. The basis of RSA encryption; and with a nod to base-ten, 10. Anything I want it to be, following the Dodgson character, Mr. H. Dumpty. Always-instructive Professor Palma will decide that Euler's Theorem means, for example, something more mathematically explicit than choice 2 above, and see all other meanings as "confused thinking." It's not just an instance of confusing reference and signification as in Frege's Morning Star and Evening Star; it is a deliberate rhetorical attempt to set the terms of debate without any attempt at definitional consensus. What is Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony? Since Dmitri often composed on paper, directly into an orchestral score, without even a piano, is the Tenth Symphony the score, a performance of it, or the process of composing it? Or is it what an individual auditor hears? Is it a harmonic analysis of the Tenth? Consensus on definitions would help before discussing. Regards, I cost rye ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html N�!jxʋ�.+Hu欱�m�x,���r��{�����iƭ�����}ؠz�h��~����0��ݭ��r��}���؝y�!�i