On 11/11/02 12:44 PM, "tarquin" <tarquin(a)planetunreal.com> wrote:
The Cunctator wrote:
This is a false dilemma.
Cunc, I think your above reasoning should also be applied to the
following (that you posted a while ago)
(a) we are one multi-lingual encyclopedia
(b) we are many encyclopedias, one in each of many languages
Good point. Is the above a false dilemma? It is if there are other options
which are not being considered, or if there isn't a substantive difference
between the options listed above.
I think we generally agree that the above options fairly describe the
possibilities.
Are they in fact not substantively different?
In other words, are they interchangeable premises? Can you draw the same
conclusions from either option? I don't think so.
I believe "We are one multi-lingual encyclopedia; therefore, we should have
an integrated user database" is a stronger (and different argument) than "We
are many encyclopedias, one in each of many languages; therefore, we should
have an integrated user database."
Simply put, (b) doesn't in itself provide any reason for the various
participants of different languages to work together, whereas (a) does.