Reply-To: "Richard H. McCullough" <rhm@cdepot.net>
From: "Richard H. McCullough" <rhm@volcano.net>
To: "Objectivism at Yahoo" <Objectivism@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: They said it couldn't be done, so I did it.
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:10:10 -0700
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	format=flowed;
	charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2670
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2670

Ayn Rand said that axiomatic concepts could only be expressed
in redundant forms such as "A is A" and "Existence exists".

I disagree.  I have formulated simple axiomatic propositions
which have "more information", just enough to provide a better
foundation for understanding, and for developing an intuitive
grasp of the axiomatic concepts.  A second essential step was
to name the propositions.

These propositions are expressed using a RI ("Real Intelligence")
language called MKR.  MKR uses terse English-like propositions
which help a human user to focus on essential characteristics and
avoid floating abstractions.  A double colon (::) separates the
proposition name and the proposition.

For the axiomatic concept "existence".

    existence :: existent DO exist done;

The referents of "existence" are all the referents of the proposition
"existent DO exist done;" which are all the propositions about
individual things that exist in reality.

For the axiomatic concept "identity".

    identity :: existent HAS characteristic;

As in Ayn Rand's terminology, a characteristic is an attribute,
action, relation, etc. that describes the nature of the existent.

For the axiomatic concept "causality".

    causality :: existence IS identity;

which states the metaphysical equivalence of existence
and identity.

I contend that these three axiomatic propositions accurately
identify the essence of Rand's axiomatic concepts.  Ayn Rand
would never have used this form of expression, because she
chose not to study propositions.

Dick McCullough
knowledge := man do identify od existent done;
knowledge haspart proposition list;
http://rhm.cdepot.net/