From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!math.fu-berlin.de!uniol!tpki.toppoint.de!elrond!freitag Tue Nov 19 11:09:45 EST 1991
Article 1279 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: freitag@elrond.toppoint.de (Claus Schoenleber)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: An Unanswerable Question
Message-ID: <NHq9aB6w164w@elrond.toppoint.de>
Date: 11 Nov 91 09:20:58 GMT
References: <1991Oct31.212013.2705@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>
Organization: Verlag Claus Schoenleber, Kiel
Lines: 37

chisnall@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz (The Technicolour Throw-up) writes:

> From article <1991Oct31.004625.26297@unocal.com>, by stgprao@xing.unocal.com 
> > In article <4834@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au> paulh@cs.uq.oz.au writes:
> >>"Mu" is a word coined by Edward deBono (see e.g. "I'm Right You're Wrong")
> >>which is used to answer questions that can't simply be answered yes or no.
> > 
> > I thought Mu was from Zen Buddhism or Japanese meaning "no answer".
> 
> Edward deBono's word was "Po".
> --
> Just my two rubber ningis worth.
> Name: Michael Chisnall		email: chisnall@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz

Hofstadter quoted the Zen riddle "Joshu's dog" (taken from Reps, Paul
"Ohne Worte, ohne Schweigen", a book full of Zen stories and riddles):

(my try to translate from German to English):

"Joshu, a chinese Zen master, was asked by a monk: 'Does a dog have Buddha-
nature or not?' Joshu's answer was: 'Mu'."

There is a remark that "mu" means a negative answer like "nothing" or "not".

Hope this helps.

Claus.


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