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Re: Language Creation: The International Language Construction

From:Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>
Date:Wednesday, May 15, 2002, 11:25
En réponse à John Cowan <jcowan@...>:

> > Oh yes, of course, me too: I was speaking of doing something *because* > it conformed to a principle, not merely acting in accordance with one. > After all, it is a principle with me not to be run over by cars, > so I make sure to cross the road only when none of them are running > over me. But I don't do this *because* I have this principle, but > merely to stay alive. >
I'm sorry, but I just fail to see the difference. Being run over by cars cannot be called a principle. It's a matter of survival and survival has nothing to do with principles. What is the difference between acting *because* or *according to* a principle? To me, the only reason you could act *according to* a principle is *because* you have this principle. What is acting *because* of principle? To me, it sounds like you have various possible courses of action, and you pick up the one that is in accordance with your own principles. In this way, I just don't see the difference between *according to* and *because of* a principle. I think we must have a different definition of *principle*, because I entirely fail to see your point... Christophe. http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.

Replies

Tristan McLeay <kesuari@...>
John Cowan <jcowan@...>Principles and causation (was: Language Creation etc.)