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The second isn’t an assertion, it’s a hypothetical. Eg, “let’s imagine that elves are real” is distinct from “elves are real”.
by zmgsabst 4y ago
The second isn’t an assertion, it’s a hypothetical.
Eg, “let’s imagine that elves are real” is distinct from “elves are real”.
- swayvil 4y agoIt's a confidence-modulated assertion. Hypothesis is low confidence. Fact is high confidence. There is no magic point at which hypothesis suddenly becomes fact. It's simply a matter of confidence.
- zmgsabst 4y agoIt’s confidence independent: “Let X” is a context bound hypothetical — we’re assuming it is true within some argument; we have perfect confidence in the hypothetical, but only within that context. That’s distinct from an assertion, which is a statement about how the world is with some associated confidence.
- lostmsu 4y agoHave you never seen proofs by contradiction?