Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.4.58.0310071550440.19083@panix3.panix.com>
From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>
To: Cyb <cybermind@listserv.aol.com>,
"WRYTING-L : Writing and Theory across Disciplines" <WRYTING-L@LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA>
Subject: Scheme for a General Literature
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 15:50:55 -0400 (EDT)
Scheme for a General Literature Wittgenstein, TLP: [P, E, N(E)] : P = all propositions E = any set of proportions N(E) = negation of E Russell: 'The whole symbol means whatever can be obtained by taking any selection of atomic propositions, negating them all, then taking any selection of the set of propositions now obtained, together with any of the originals--and so on indefinitely. This is, he [Wittgenstein] says, the general truth-function and also the general form of proposition.' (Introduction, TLP.) Now the negation is necessary to produce the Sheffer stroke and its dual; atomic propositions, however, are illusory - show me one. Nevertheless, one can write P, where P = generalized alphabetics; and E, where E = a finite subset methodology (axiom of choice) in any order of P. Note that P is a reasonably small integer < 40,000. (Of course further reduction is possible by virtue of binary or unary mapping.) We have in addition S({E}), where S = the substructure or ordering-site (Peirce's "sheet of assertion"); {E} (a set of finite subsets of P) is mapped onto S. Then clearly [P, E, S({E})] is the general form of literature - in particular, religious or other traditional or exemplary texts (including their diacritical and extra-alphabetic graphemes) - issues of practicality, decidability, etc. notwithstanding. ___