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From: leichter@yale-com.UUCP (Jerry Leichter)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: A few last words on the quiz paradox
Message-ID: <2031@yale-com.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 16-Sep-83 08:27:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: yale-com.2031
Posted: Fri Sep 16 08:27:14 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Sep-83 16:33:58 EDT
References: ihuxr.637
Lines: 12

Using "infer" in place of "know" has no real effect on Quine's "disolution"
of the paradox; you simply have to examine what "infer" ought to mean.  If
"infer" is to be understood to mean "can derive by a correct proof technique"
then the "you can't pick your postulates" argument is quite valid, and you
don't have a correct inference, and you can be hung any morning.  If "infer"
means "can give a plausible sounding argument for", well, plausibility then
becomes the whole issue and obviously the teacher/judge will chose not to
find your argument "plausible", and you still get nowhere.  (If he chooses
to call your argument plausible, and accepts this interpretation of the word
"infer", then he is simply admitting that he lied to begin with.)
							-- Jerry
					decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale