Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site tilt.FUN Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!tilt!chenr From: chenr@tilt.FUN (Ray Chen) Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: Metropolis and Brunner Message-ID: <259@tilt.FUN> Date: Sun, 31-Mar-85 21:27:26 EST Article-I.D.: tilt.259 Posted: Sun Mar 31 21:27:26 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 1-Apr-85 04:22:58 EST References: <216@unc.UUCP> <292@unc.UUCP> Organization: Princeton University EECS Dept Lines: 24 Various "The Best x book is y statements" such as... >>>The best English language book of the 20th century is very probably >>>Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". > The semantic content of these statements is clear and unambiguous. > There's no information about the authors' intentions, so I'm totally > incapable of commenting on whatever it was that you `really' meant. > If you can show me ANYTHING in these statements that qualifies the > superlative `best,' please point it out to me. I'm always ready and > willing to learn. > > -- Regards, Bill. Sorry, Bill. The statements all involved art works. There are no objective methods of judging one work of art (be it literature, music, sculpture, etc.) to be superior to another. One man's masterwork is often another man's bird-cage liner. Therefore, any statement "The best English language book is ..." automatically implies that the sentence should be interpreted as "I/We/Somebody/Most think the best English language book is ..." Ray Chen princeton!tilt!chenr