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Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
#1
Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
Is "trying to try" possible? If not, and you can't "try to try" but you can only "try" then can you ultimately do anything freely?

If "trying to try" is possible and so so is "trying to try to try" and "trying to try to try to try" and so on, can you gain control of that infinite regress?
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#2
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"

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#3
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
Spam much?
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#4
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
Not spam. Just a gut reaction to all the threads you keep posting trying to define the meanings of words and phrases.
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#5
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
"Do, or do not. There is no try."
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#6
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
DoubtVsFaith Wrote:Is "trying to try" possible? If not, and you can't "try to try" but you can only "try" then can you ultimately do anything freely?
If "trying to try" is possible and so so is "trying to try to try" and "trying to try to try to try" and so on, can you gain control of that infinite regress?

I think it's possible. One example: if you're playing a game where you have to throw a dice and get a 6 in order to have one attempt at spinning a wheel which can make you win a prize. You are trying to try to win the prize when you're throwing the dice.
You can generalize that example and make a chain of "try" as long as you want with chance games.
Does it answer your question ?
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#7
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
'Trying' means 'making a conscious effort to do something', presumably with some aim in mind. So, 'trying to try' is 'making a conscious effort to make a conscious effort to achieve x'. But if you are making a conscious effort to do this, surely you already have the aim of doing x, otherwise there would be no reason for you to make this effort to make an effort. Also, making an effort to make an effort to achieve x is effectively making an effort to achieve x, as you already have the aim, and you are doing something to achieve it. So 'trying to try' reduces to 'trying'. That's what I think, anyway.
'We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.' H.L. Mencken

'False religion' is the ultimate tautology.

'It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.' Mark Twain

'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.' Abraham Lincoln
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#8
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
The Omnissiunt One;114304 Wrote:'Trying' means 'making a conscious effort to do something', presumably with some aim in mind. So, 'trying to try' is 'making a conscious effort to make a conscious effort to achieve x'. But if you are making a conscious effort to do this, surely you already have the aim of doing x, otherwise there would be no reason for you to make this effort to make an effort. Also, making an effort to make an effort to achieve x is effectively making an effort to achieve x, as you already have the aim, and you are doing something to achieve it. So 'trying to try' reduces to 'trying'. That's what I think, anyway.


Quote: "TRY? There is no"try".There is either 'do' or 'not do" (Yoda)

Sorry,couldn't resist. My bad.Tiger
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#9
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
padraic Wrote:
Quote: "TRY? There is no"try".There is either 'do' or 'not do" (Yoda)

Sorry,couldn't resist. My bad.Tiger

Tongue I was up till 3 am and running on fumes this morning. Many pardons.

The Falcon picked me up and took me to my favorite pub where the fare was considerably better than what you'd find at Mos Eisley, and so we nearly shut the place down.

[hugs]
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#10
RE: Metatrying - i.e. "Trying to try"
DoubtVsFaith Wrote:Is "trying to try" possible? If not, and you can't "try to try" but you can only "try" then can you ultimately do anything freely?
In psychology it is.

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