timwaters/E_Prime_NMI_leeds.txt

## E_Prime_NMI_leeds.txt
E-PRIME, abolishing all forms of the verb "to be," has its roots in the field of general semantics, as presented by Alfred Korzybski in his 1933 book, Science and Sanity. Korzybski pointed out the pitfalls associated with, and produced by, two usages of "to be": identity and predication. Example of identity use would be "The Cat is George", "The Cat is a feline" or "Luke, I am your father" and predication would be "I am tired" and "The Cat is furry", "Luke is brave" etc.

Bourland pioneered in demonstrating that one can indeed write and speak without using any form of "to be," calling this subset of the English language "E-Prime." Many have urged the use of E-Prime in writing scientific and technical papers. I would say it helps when writing emails to mailing lists to help avoid miscommunication.

For example, instead of the sentence "the film was good", and the speaker might instead use E-Prime and say "I liked the film" or "the film made me laugh". The E-Prime versions communicate the speaker's experience rather than judgement, making it harder for the writer or reader to confuse opinion with fact.

**Disallowed words**

be
being
been
am
is; isn't
are; aren't
was; wasn't
were; weren't

**Allowed words**

become;
has; have; having; had (I've; you've)
do; does; doing; did
can; could
will; would (they'd)
shall; should
ought
may; might; must
remain
equal


To understand E-Prime, consider the human brain as a computer. (Note that I did not say the brain "is" a computer.) As the Prime Law of Computers tells us, GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. The wrong software guarantees wrong answers. Conversely, finding the right software can "miraculously" solve problems that previously appeared intractable.

It seems likely that the principal software used in the human brain consists of words, metaphors, disguised metaphors, and linguistic structures in general. Some anthropologists have a theory that a change in language can alter our perception of the universe. A revision of language structure, in particular, can alter the brain as dramatically as a psychedelic. In our metaphor, if we change the software, the computer operates in a new way.

Consider the following paired sets of propositions, in which Standard English alternates with English-Prime (E-Prime):

lA. The electron is a wave.
lB. The electron appears as a wave

2A. The electron is a particle.
2B. The electron appears as a particle when measured with instrument-2.

3A. John is lethargic and unhappy.
3B. John appears lethargic and unhappy in the office.

4A. John is bright and cheerful.
4B. John appears bright and cheerful on holiday at the beach.

8A. Beethoven is better than Mozart.
8B. Beethoven seems better to me than Mozart.

9A. That is a sexist movie.
9B. That seems like a sexist movie to me.

10A. The fetus is a person.
10B. In my system of metaphysics, I classify the fetus as a person.

The "A"-type statements (Standard English) all implicitly or explicitly assume the medieval view called "Aristotelian essentialism" or "naive realism." In other words, they assume a world made up of block-like entities with indwelling "essences" or spooks- "ghosts in the machine", essential "is-nesses". The "B"-type statements (E-Prime) recast these sentences into a form friendly to modern science by first abolishing the "is" of Aristotelian essence and then reformulating each observation in terms of signals received and interpreted by a body (or instrument) in the world..

Concretely, "The electron is a wave" employs the Aristotelian "is" and thereby introduces us to the false-to-experience notion that we can know the indwelling "essence" of the electron. "The electron appears as a wave when measured by instrument-1" reports what actually occurred in space-time, namely that the electron when constrained by a certain instrument behaved in a certain way.

Note that "the electron is a wave" and "the electron is a particle" contradict each other and begin the insidious process by which we move gradually from paradox to nonsense to total gibberish. On the other hand, the modern scientific statements "the electron appears as a wave when measured one way" and "the electron appears as a particle measured another way" do not contradict, but rather complement each other.

Looking at our next pair, "John is lethargic and unhappy" vs. "John is bright and cheerful,' we see again how medieval software creates metaphysical puzzles and totally imaginary contradictions.

We find that the E-Prime translations do not contain any contradiction, and even give us a clue as to causes of John's changing moods.

I have found repeatedly that when baffled by a problem in science, in "philosophy," or in daily life, I gain immediate insight by writing down what I know about the enigma in strict E-Prime. Often, solutions appear immediately-just as happens when you throw out the "wrong" software and put the "right" software into your computer.
	E-PRIME, abolishing all forms of the verb "to be," has its roots in the field of general semantics, as presented by Alfred Korzybski in his 1933 book, Science and Sanity. Korzybski pointed out the pitfalls associated with, and produced by, two usages of "to be": identity and predication. Example of identity use would be "The Cat is George", "The Cat is a feline" or "Luke, I am your father" and predication would be "I am tired" and "The Cat is furry", "Luke is brave" etc.

	Bourland pioneered in demonstrating that one can indeed write and speak without using any form of "to be," calling this subset of the English language "E-Prime." Many have urged the use of E-Prime in writing scientific and technical papers. I would say it helps when writing emails to mailing lists to help avoid miscommunication.

	For example, instead of the sentence "the film was good", and the speaker might instead use E-Prime and say "I liked the film" or "the film made me laugh". The E-Prime versions communicate the speaker's experience rather than judgement, making it harder for the writer or reader to confuse opinion with fact.

	Disallowed words

	be
	being
	been
	am
	is; isn't
	are; aren't
	was; wasn't
	were; weren't

	Allowed words

	become;
	has; have; having; had (I've; you've)
	do; does; doing; did
	can; could
	will; would (they'd)
	shall; should
	ought
	may; might; must
	remain
	equal


	To understand E-Prime, consider the human brain as a computer. (Note that I did not say the brain "is" a computer.) As the Prime Law of Computers tells us, GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. The wrong software guarantees wrong answers. Conversely, finding the right software can "miraculously" solve problems that previously appeared intractable.

	It seems likely that the principal software used in the human brain consists of words, metaphors, disguised metaphors, and linguistic structures in general. Some anthropologists have a theory that a change in language can alter our perception of the universe. A revision of language structure, in particular, can alter the brain as dramatically as a psychedelic. In our metaphor, if we change the software, the computer operates in a new way.

	Consider the following paired sets of propositions, in which Standard English alternates with English-Prime (E-Prime):

	lA. The electron is a wave.
	lB. The electron appears as a wave

	2A. The electron is a particle.
	2B. The electron appears as a particle when measured with instrument-2.

	3A. John is lethargic and unhappy.
	3B. John appears lethargic and unhappy in the office.

	4A. John is bright and cheerful.
	4B. John appears bright and cheerful on holiday at the beach.

	8A. Beethoven is better than Mozart.
	8B. Beethoven seems better to me than Mozart.

	9A. That is a sexist movie.
	9B. That seems like a sexist movie to me.

	10A. The fetus is a person.
	10B. In my system of metaphysics, I classify the fetus as a person.

	The "A"-type statements (Standard English) all implicitly or explicitly assume the medieval view called "Aristotelian essentialism" or "naive realism." In other words, they assume a world made up of block-like entities with indwelling "essences" or spooks- "ghosts in the machine", essential "is-nesses". The "B"-type statements (E-Prime) recast these sentences into a form friendly to modern science by first abolishing the "is" of Aristotelian essence and then reformulating each observation in terms of signals received and interpreted by a body (or instrument) in the world..

	Concretely, "The electron is a wave" employs the Aristotelian "is" and thereby introduces us to the false-to-experience notion that we can know the indwelling "essence" of the electron. "The electron appears as a wave when measured by instrument-1" reports what actually occurred in space-time, namely that the electron when constrained by a certain instrument behaved in a certain way.

	Note that "the electron is a wave" and "the electron is a particle" contradict each other and begin the insidious process by which we move gradually from paradox to nonsense to total gibberish. On the other hand, the modern scientific statements "the electron appears as a wave when measured one way" and "the electron appears as a particle measured another way" do not contradict, but rather complement each other.

	Looking at our next pair, "John is lethargic and unhappy" vs. "John is bright and cheerful,' we see again how medieval software creates metaphysical puzzles and totally imaginary contradictions.

	We find that the E-Prime translations do not contain any contradiction, and even give us a clue as to causes of John's changing moods.

	I have found repeatedly that when baffled by a problem in science, in "philosophy," or in daily life, I gain immediate insight by writing down what I know about the enigma in strict E-Prime. Often, solutions appear immediately-just as happens when you throw out the "wrong" software and put the "right" software into your computer.