Caledonian2 comments on Qualitatively Confused - Less Wrong

26 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 14 March 2008 05:01PM

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Comment author: Caledonian2 14 March 2008 11:40:31PM 0 points [-]

No, these sentences mean quite different things, which is how I can conceive of the possibility that my beliefs are false.

No, on both counts. The sentences do not mean quite different things, and that is not how you conceive of the possibility that your beliefs are false.

One is a statement of belief, and one is a meta-statement of belief. Except for one level of self-reference, they have exactly the same meaning. Given the statement, anyone can generate the meta-statement if they assume you're consistent, and given the meta-statement, the statement necessarily follows.