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Hi Pete,

Thanks for the write-up, it helps to discuss these kinds of subjects, makes it 
'more real' to everyone.
Logic is not strange to me, I am a software programmer (games) so I deal with 
Boolean algebra everyday but still writing/summarizing like you have done is 
both good for yourself as well as for others.

Your analogy with the colored marbles is very nice  thanks for that.

And yes everything is contained in: xy + x(1-y) + y(1-x) + (1-x)(1-y) = 1

Best
Jurgen



From: Pete McLaughlin 
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2009 09:16
To: TROM 
Subject: [TROM1] Trom and Boolean Algebra


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Hi Mickel

  I kept thinking about you question on "Common Classes" realized I still had 
something misunderstood on the Logical Notes section of  TROM.  On reviewing 
that section I found what I had missed and here is the result.  

 

Dennis uses Boolean algebra to make sure he considered all the possible ways 
two individuals could interact concerning a goal.  It took me a while to 
understand what he was doing with the algebraic formulas so I thought it might 
help to show what they are about.

 

Logical Notes

This section can be glossed over if desired. The purpose of the section is to 
demonstrate to those interested that the subject of the goals package rests 
upon a firm logical foundation.

The subject of logic rests upon two fundamental axioms:

1. The common class of a concept and its absence does not exist. (x(1-x))=0. 
This equation is only satisfied when x is either zero or unity. Thus, in the 
algebra of classes (Boolean algebra) (symbolic logic) the symbols can only have 
the value of zero or unity.)

 

(((A "Common Class" is a group of items that share characteristics of two 
parent classes.  View this as two circles overlapping.  The area of overlap is 
the common class as it is part of both circles.

(x(1-x))=0 View this formula as a  bucket full of black marbles and white 
marbles.  If you pull out one marble it can be either white or black. There are 
no other possibilities so this equation says "Can I pull out a marble that is 
both black and white? The answer is no so in Boolean algebra you put the value 
for false which is zero.)))

2. The universe can be divided into any concept and its absence. (x + (1-x) =1.)

 

(((Using the same bucket of black and white marbles this statement says that if 
you pull out a marble it will be either black or white.  The equation then 
reads if I pull out a marble it must be either black or white and the answer is 
the Boolean value for true which is the number 1.)

>From these two basic axioms all other logical propositions are derived. One of 
>these propositions states that the types of possible classes that can exist 
>with two concepts, x, y, are four. Their sum equals the universe: unity.
      xy + x(1-y) + y(1-x) + (1-x)(1-y) = 1

(1 and 2 above dealt with one value and its absence.  Now we have two values 
and their absences.  Lets picture two buckets. The first has black marbles and 
white marbles to represent X and its absence 1-X  the second bucket has red and 
blue marbles to represent Y and its absence 1-Y.  if we pull out one marble at 
random from each bucket we can get the combinations of black and red, black and 
blue, red and white and white and blue.   Those are the only possible 
combinations so the equation states these 4 combinations of two values and 
their absences are all of the possible combinations we can get in this 
situation and the answer is true or the Boolean value 1.)))

 

Any goals package contains two concepts; these plus their absences (negatives) 
constitute the four legs of the package.

The 'To know' package is such a package. If we represent 'To know' by x, and 
'To be known' by y, we can see from the above equation regarding two concepts 
that the four possible classes are:

xy         This is the class To know and To be known. These are complementary 
postulates, and are a no-game class.

x(1-y)  This is the class To know and To not be known. These are conflicting 
postulates, and are a game class.

y(1-x)  This is the class To be known and To not-know. These are conflicting 
postulates, and are a game class.

(1-x)(1-y)  This is the class To not-know and To not be known. These are 
complementary postulates, and are a no- game class.


The sum of these four classes is the totality of the universe of the two 
concepts. "To know" and "To be known". Within these four classes, then, the 
whole subject of knowing and being known is contained. When we consider each of 
these four classes from the viewpoint of 'self' and 'others' we arrive at 2x4=8 
classes. When we consider each of these 8 classes from the viewpoint of 
'origin' and 'receipt' we arrive at 2x8=16 classes. These 16 classes are the 16 
levels we find when we examine the 'To know' goals package. We can equally, of 
course, cut the universe into any two purposes in the form 'To -' and 'To be 
-', and arrive at the same conclusion viz: That the whole universe of the two 
concepts is within that package.

(At this point I made the mistake of thinking that Dennis was talking about the 
Level 5 chart.  He is not.  The level 5 chart only deals with the two games 
conditions between two opponents which is the middle two values above (x(1-y) 
and y(1-x))  the other two are "no game" conditions and not on the level 5 
chart.

  So what Dennis is showing here is that on any goal an individual can interact 
with another in only 4 ways. Two of these will be friendly no games conditions 
and two will be conflicts between opposing goals.  When you add in the 4 
combinations from the others point of view you get 8 points of view of this 
goal and when you consider who started in interaction, self or other, this 
would make 16 different combination of how self and other could interact on 
this goal.  

Stated a little different there are:

4 ways self can pursue a goal with other

4 ways other can pursue a goal with self

And either self or other started the current effort toward a goal 

Thus a total of 4x4x2=16 different ways to pursue a goal.

Since these are ALL the ways these two could interact we can be assured that 
while we are taking apart a goals package in the mind we are not leaving 
something undone.  Dennis proves here that he has considered all the 
possibilities. )

 

Thus, we have proven within the rigors of strict logical reasoning that any 
goals package contains the full universe of its component concepts, and that no 
part of life is external to the package. In the language of the mathematician 
the 16 levels of the goals package are necessary and sufficient for our 
purposes.

 

 Hope this helps

Keep on TROMing

Pete 

 



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