Oopsy-toopsy.
From: epix
To: The Man
When I scrolled back to see once again Doron's transformations, I realized that they and the conclusion are more absurd than I anticipated. If there is a field of mathematics that may find the accomodation in "Philosophy & Religion" motel somewhat acceptable, then it is the set theory. But Doron's insistence on "Turbulent Transformational Paganism" with [.], []. , [_]_ and all those demigods non-local to Christianity flying around makes any modest link impossible.
There is a practical branch of the set theory that enables to shuffle items around for various purposes, such as a comparison of the string of elements. There is a kind of set called a "list" that is defined and implemented differently then the set itself. The list is the practical part, whereas the set is used more or less for logical manipulations. Some languages, such as Java, allow implementation of both forms: sets and lists.
Some calculators, such as TI-89 allow only a list manipulation as a part of the computational hierarchy. That means there had to be the "thou shall not . . ." and one of them is the "Circular definition":
Example 1.
Code:
Define a = {a, b, c}
Error: Circular definition
The attempt to define a list with three elements, for example, results in an error message when the defining term is also a part of the expression to be defined. It follows that the story would be the same in the next example:
Example 2.
Code:
Define y = 2x - 6y
Error: Circular definition
Some believe in "thou shall not," and some don't. So let's override the error to see what happens in the case of Example 2:
Define y = 2x - 6y => 2x - 62x - 6y... and the substitution of y goes to infinity -- if the calculator could concatenate the function with itself.
Here is the fun part:
Q: What is Circular definition?
A: Circular definition is a definition that is circular.
Quite "illuminating answer," but that's what circular definition is all about in a practical example.
It's dark and you leave point A for point B. You get disoriented and walk in circles around point A forever and ever ad infinitum -- if you happen to be a non-omniscient, immortal deity. So that's the "etymology" of the term Circular definition (See Doron's renditions of those trips nowhere.)
How he relates the Russell's paradox to the infinite regression is a mystery to me -- if he does it at all. Once you expand a set to include identical elements, the set is no longer a set but a list by definition and becomes "non-local" to the
set theory that Russel's paradox is a part of.