From: hughes@ah.com (Eric Hughes)
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 93 11:44:50 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Pseudospoofing
In-Reply-To: <9312050721.AA11445@longs.lance.colostate.edu>
Message-ID: <9312051935.AA02442@ah.com>
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This message went to cypherwonks.

Eric
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The issue here is epistemology.

>There would be no problem if I asked a tentacle, `are you a pseudonym'
>and it answered `yes'. 

This is exactly like the question "Are you a liar?", to which the
answer is always "no".

>But the cypherpunks are setting up a network of
>fake sites and identities and continue to claim, to the very end, `yes,
>I am real' with their fake identities. 

When I am accused of saying "I am real" from the mouth of a fake
identity, and I deny this accusation, there are two models of reality
which satisfy the words exchanged:

-- I am using a fake identity, and I am lying to deny it.
-- I am not using a fake identity, and am telling the truth to deny it.

When confronted by a barrage of continuing accusations to which no
answer is possible, I prefer to remain silent.  I can gain no benefit
from discourse in this situation and can only waste my time and the
time of my correspondent.

The usual way to break out of this 'solipsism of the dialogue' is to
invoke a social mechanism, that is, ask someone else.  Under a belief
of widespread impersonation, however, all denials are now presumed to
come from the original speaker of the first denial.  Thus the
solipsism of the dialogue expands to a solipsism of all dialogues.

>Cypherpunks, please tell me what question I can ask of a psychopunk
>tentacle such that it will not lie and say that it is a real person! If
>you have any honesty or credibility, tell me that question!

There is no such question, as I argue above.  Am I dishonest if I
cannot exhibit the nonexistent?

Eric