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An agent involved in an ''effort to communicate'', no matter how various the signs and the media that make its conveyance conceivable, and no matter how articulately the character of its endeavor is styled, whether it is pointed and straightforward, or allusive and recursive, whether it is elliptic, hyperbolic, parabolic, or otherwise conically sectioned, or whether it is much less smoothly sliced into its initial approximations and final truncations, there are only so many ways that a ''finitely informed creature'' can find to figure out what meaning the world has and to formulate what sense a life's work can add to it.

An agent involved in an "effort to communicate" (ETC), no matter how various the signs and the media that make its conveyance conceivable, and no matter how articulately the character of its endeavor is styled, whether it is pointed and straightforward, or allusive and recursive, whether it is elliptic, hyperbolic, parabolic, or otherwise conically sectioned, or whether it is much less smoothly sliced into its initial approximations and final truncations, there are only so many ways that a "finitely informed creature" (FIC) can find to figure out what meaning the world has and to formulate what sense a life's work can add to it.

The present situation, as far as it goes, is a suitable subject for being investigated along the lines of the pragmatic theory of sign relations.

The present situation, as far as it goes, is a suitable subject for being investigated along the lines of the pragmatic theory of sign relations.

Since "x" is a sign, it has the potential to denote an object x, if and when there is determined to be a signified object, and one with a power to impress itself on the mind of the operative interpreter of that sign.  Likewise, since "y0 = y.y" is a sign, it has the potential to denote an object, one that syntactic compunctions stop me from saying is y0 = y.y, that is, if I want to avoid a definite risk of failing to be understood.  But what is this object, if it exists?  At any rate, what sort of object is the receiver of the sign thereby entitled to expect it to be, whether or not the object that it foreshadows ever does come to be actualized?

Since <math>{}^{\backprime\backprime} x {}^{\prime\prime}</math> is a sign, it has the potential to denote an object <math>x,\!</math> if and when there is determined to be a signified object, and one with a power to impress itself on the mind of the operative interpreter of that sign.  Likewise, since <math>{}^{\backprime\backprime} y_0 = y \cdot y {}^{\prime\prime}</math> is a sign, it has the potential to denote an object, one that syntactic compunctions stop me from saying is <math>y_0 = y \cdot y,</math> that is, if I want to avoid a definite risk of failing to be understood.  But what is this object, if it exists?  At any rate, what sort of object is the receiver of the sign thereby entitled to expect it to be, whether or not the object that it foreshadows ever does come to be actualized?

In order to have a variety of more convenient names for referring to the object potentially denoted by the sign "y0 = y.y", I refer to the expression "y0 = y.y" as "The Initial Equation", or as "TIE", for short.  Although it is not strictly necessary for such a small piece of text as "y0 = y.y", I here obey the rule that the titles of texts are italicized.  Furthermore, the object, situation, or state that satisfies TIE, to the effect that y0 = y.y, and is therefore potentially denoted by TIE, can also be referred to as "the intended state", or as "TIS", for short.

In order to have a variety of more convenient names for referring to the object potentially denoted by the sign <math>{}^{\backprime\backprime} y_0 = y \cdot y {}^{\prime\prime},</math> I refer to the expression <math>{}^{\backprime\backprime} y_0 = y \cdot y {}^{\prime\prime}</math> as ''&ldquo;The Initial Equation&rdquo;'', or as ''&ldquo;TIE&rdquo;'', for short.  Although it is not strictly necessary for such a small piece of text as <math>{}^{\backprime\backprime} y_0 = y \cdot y {}^{\prime\prime},</math> I here obey the rule that the titles of texts are italicized.  Furthermore, the object, situation, or state that satisfies ''TIE'', to the effect that <math>y_0 = y \cdot y,\!</math> and is therefore potentially denoted by ''TIE'', can also be referred to as &ldquo;the intended state&rdquo;, or as &ldquo;TIS&rdquo;, for short.

 

At midnight hour in mirkest glen,

At midnight hour in mirkest glen,

I'd rove, and ne'er be eerie, O,

I'd rove, and ne'er be eerie, O,