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Philosophy/relation with itself?

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Expert: Charles K. MacKay - 4/9/2009


Question
dear Mr. MacKay

can someone have relation with himself? (does it contradict the definition of relation?)
is it true to say that: If trait/name/attitude A is said about X, in relation to the X itself, then A would be substantial in X. then, can we conclude that A can not be relation wise(because it is substance wise) now we would face with a contradiction. so we can NOT say something about X in relation to X itself. therefore, X can not have relation with itself
is this reasoning right?


Answer
This is one of those incredible tangles that medieval philosophy liked to get itself into  one of the cases that Wittgenstein called [a] "...bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language."

This is a tangle of words, not of concepts.. Most philosophers would, today, want to approach the whole concept of "relation" through set theory.


See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_theory

Regards,

Charlie  

Philosophy

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Charles K. MacKay

Expertise

I can answer a number of questions in philosophy; my academic concentrations (graduate school at Cornell) are ethics, political philosophy, and 19th-century German philosophy (Marx, Hegel, and hangers-on.)

Experience

EDUCATION:

BA, New College, 1971, Philosophy and Religion
Awarded four graduate fellowships upon graduation

MA, Cornell University, 1974
Social and Political Philosophy, Danforth Fellowship

All course work and dissertation drafts completed for Ph.D. Cornell University, 1971-1975, Social and Political Philosophy, Danforth Fellowship

Courses in statistics and microeconomics, George Washington University and The American University, 1976-1978

EXPERIENCE: Health Insurance Specialist 2005 - Present
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service
US Department of Health and Human Services

Allentown Business School Instructor (Computer Science) 2003 - 2005

Northampton Community College
Adjunct Professor of Philosophy 2003 -2005

Lehigh County Community College
Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Computer Science


PUBLICATIONS:

Medicare Made Easy (with Charles B. Inlander) Addison-Wesley, 1989

Good Operations, Bad Operations (with Charles B. Inlander) Viking Press, 1993

Health Rebooted: Information Changes Everything (in press), 2008


Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Arts, Philosphy and Religion, New College, 1971 Master of Arts, Social and Political Philosophy, Cornell University, 1975

Awards and Honors
Danforth Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship

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