[Inquiry] Re: Theme One Program -- Exposition

[Jon Awbrey]

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TOP.  Expository Note 16

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3.3.1.  Bare Cacti and Their Arithmetic

I will now elaborate a strategy that I use whenever I get worried about
the "meaning" or the "ontology" of "variables".  The problematic status
of the variable can be seen to become especially acute in light of the
principle just stated, concerning the interpretive relativity of form
and matter in the signs that bear information, that is, in light of
the circumstance that the distinction between their form and their
content is relative to interpretation.

The acuteness is due to the circumstance that the very distinction between
constant and variable now becomes relative to interpretation in this light.
In order to approach this issue from a slightly different perspective than
is usually taken up, I will not speak of constants and variables, whatever
those are, but return to the description of cacti in the media of "paints".

I introduce a few bits of informal language that will speed the discussion:

Generally speaking, one often finds that a particular formal language under
view will contain an "arithmetic" sub-language, all of whose expressions are
composed solely of symbols called "constant symbols", and as such singled out
from the "algebraic" language as a whole, whose expressions may also contain
symbols called "variable symbols".  For the moment, I will keep the colorful
terms "arithmetic" and "algebraic", but try to avoid especially the use of
the word "variable", with all its accretions of mystifying connotations.

By definition, an "impression" is an expression in the arithmetic sub-language.

Back in realm of cacti and cactus expressions, I make the following definitions:

A "bare cactus" is one devoid of paint, or what is the same thing,
a cactus that has every node painted with the empty set of paints.

Bare cacti and bare cactus expressions are also known as "impressions",
as in "impressions of value", and these are regarded as limiting cases
of the more general cacti and cactus expressions that we shall come to
apprize as "expressions of value".

What brings the question of "value" into this realm of abstract expressions
and special impressions is that there is a set of rules that can be used to
equate every impression with one or the other of these two cacti:  @ or |,
where I use the vertical bar "|" as an in-line picture of the rooted edge.

I now present a set of "abstract rules of equivalence" (AROE's) that
divide the space of impressions into exactly two equivalence classes.

Rather than trying to come up with the most elegant set of rules
from the axiomatic standpoint, I will merely give the rules that
seem to be the most frequently useful in practice, and that will
serve to rationalize the algorithm used in the Theme One program.

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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` o ` o ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` o ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `\ /` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` | ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` @ ` ` ` ` = ` ` ` ` @ ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `( ) ( )` ` ` = ` ` ` `( )` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| Axiom I_1.` ` Distract <--- | ---> Condense ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` o ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` | ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` o ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` | ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` @ ` ` ` ` = ` ` ` ` @ ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` (( )) ` ` ` = ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| Axiom I_2.` ` ` Unfold <--- | ---> Refold ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` x_1 `x_2` `...` x_k ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` `o----o-...-o----o` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` \ ` ` ` ` ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` `\` ` ` ` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` \ ` ` ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` `\` ` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` \ ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` `\` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` \ / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` `@` ` ` ` ` ` ` = ` ` ` ` ` ` `@` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ( x_1, x_2, ..., x_k )` ` = ` ` ` ` ` <blank> ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` IF AND ONLY IF` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `o` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` Just one of the x_1, x_2, ..., x_k` `=` `|` `=` `( )` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `@` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| Lobe Evaluation Rule` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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Two special cases of the Lobe Evaluation Rule are as follows:

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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` `x` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` `o-...-o-o-o-...-o` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` \ ` ` ` ` ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` `\` ` ` ` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` \ ` ` ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` `\` ` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` \ ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `x` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` `\` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `o` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` \ / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `|` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` `@` ` ` ` ` ` ` = ` ` ` ` ` ` `@` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` `( , , , x , , , )` ` ` = ` ` ` ` ` ` (x) ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| Rule I_3` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` `o` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` `a` ` `m`|`n` ` `z` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` `o-...-o-o-o-...-o` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` \ ` ` ` ` ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` `\` ` ` ` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` \ ` ` ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` `\` ` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` \ ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` `\` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` \ / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` a...m n...z ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` `@` ` ` ` ` ` ` = ` ` ` ` ` ` `@` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| (a, ..., m, ( ), n, ..., z) = ` ` ` ` a...m n...z ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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| Rule I_4` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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Jon Awbrey

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inquiry e-lab: http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/
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