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Originally Posted by Tomas Rueda
but tell me? what does the following mean?
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All sentences below this sentence are true.
The sentence above is false.
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The concept is called perspective. For example if both sentences have equal weight, then they are direct contradictions. However if both sentences are analyzed serially and repeatedly (ie. like a conventional computer program), then we have an endless loop. If sentences are taken in presidence - each one studied only once (last sentence taking priority), well then, the first sentence was a lie.
This is what politicians do: spin. Propaganda is very dependent on a psychological perspective where humans take the first sentence as fact - no futher proof required. Then we doubt every following sentence that contradicts the first. We take the first sentence without demanding proof and then hold every contradictory and following sentence to excessive demands for proof. George Jr had people believing Weapons of Mass Destruction existed - even when massive and following evidence lead to contradictory conclusions. Some of us simply blindly believed that those alumunim tubes were for making nuclear weaspons and outrightly denied three separate analyses later presented by advanced physics weapons labs. All three labs said those tubes were not appropriate for weapons development. But many only blindly believed the first sentence from the administration. Perspective can be used to create distort truth.
Perspective is why conflicts are so easily created in nieghborhoods or among countries - each side taking a different perspective on the same facts. So much of what is concluded depends on the background and experience of the 'receiver' - the person who must analyze a conclusion. Given bad intelligence (and all intelligence is bad), previous American leaders were able to see the reality. Experience makes one learn that many perspectives exist before blindly coming to an ideological conclusion.
Now we take the original example one step farther. The sentence -
> The sentence above is false.
Using binary logic, then this is also true -
> The sentence above is not true.
However the world is not binary. The world is ternary. That means using the "... not true." sentence, then logic of both sentences is correct and compatible. Together they define the third logic state - undefined. Both sentence are now true because they both define a logic state common to both. This is how spin doctors confuse simply using blunt logic.
George Jr's State of the Union address where he all but blamed Iraqi for causing 11 September attacks is another classic example where the blunt logic is instead distorted by the presentation. Geroge Jr never stated that expressly but he spun his paragraphs together so that one would make erroneous conclusions. Emotion makes it easy to change people's perspective into blood thirsty mongrels. Hitler did same to turn a nation into war mongers. First thing he had to do is attack and destroy the intellectuals would would see the many different prespectives and therefore see Hitler's lies. Indeed, I was absolutely surprised how many Americans bought that 'Saddam attacked the WTC' lie complete with 'hook and sinker'. Presentation is important to manipulate the perspective.
It is a complete myth that Saddam had anything to do with the WTC and Pentagon attacks. But many still are not convinced. Again, how to spin perspective so that even when presented with numerous facts to the contraray, still many believe only the first sentence. It is the psychology of propaganda. Get them to believe something before real facts can be analyzed and presented. That first sentence will be believed even when five following sentences says the first sentence is wrong . Humans so easily distort logic by failing to see all facts in equal perspective.
Perspective can create different conclusions from same facts using two classic techniques. First have the "receiver" conclude based upon the politically correct perspective. The second is to spin two different points together so the the "receiver" assumes both are same. Perspective is often used to make the less rigourous among us 'feel' an incorrect conclusion.
Those two sentence demonstrate how perspective - the background and experience of the "receiver" - is so important to a final conclusion. It is, for example, why Kennedy constantly said to his 'dream team' advisors, "But what does he think? How does he interprete view these same facts?" It is why great leaders must constanly ask questions - to discover the many other perspectives.