On the “liar” issue, and the implication of Lumumba:
What numerous people (not here, for the most part, but with some exceptions) have been either forgetting or ignoring, almost to the point of obstinacy, is that Knox did not come up with Lumumba’s name spontaneously. She and Lumumba had exchanged text messages on the night of the killing; in one of them, Amanda wrote “see you later”. Her interrogators questioned her aggressively about this correspondence, clearly with the implication that Lumumba (as well as Amanda herself) might have been involved in the murder. The idea of Lumumba’s guilt was planted in her head by the police. Knox’s “accusation” of Lumumba amounted to no more than saying “Well, all right, I guess maybe he could have done it.”
To “lie” is to make an assertion that one knows to be false. Amanda Knox was unambiguously clear about the fact that her “story” about Lumumba being the killer was a dreamlike vision, not an actual claimed memory. It does not constitute a positive assertion about the state of the world, and thus cannot be a “lie”. Now, definitions don’t matter, of course; but the point is that the lack of correspondence between this particular account and the actual reality of the situation is not Bayesian evidence of her having wished to deceive police about her state of knowledge (which would in turn be Bayesian evidence of her guilt).
“Knox’s “accusation” of Lumumba amounted to no more than saying “Well, all right, I guess maybe he could have done it.”″
I don’t want to cause you to rehash arguments you’ve had here already. There are so many other pieces of evidence of equal value as her ‘lie’. I am aware of the circumstances under which Lumumba was mentioned. At the moment all we can say about the circumstances are that she says she was slapped twice on the back of the head and shouted at, they say they didn’t. Perhaps evidence will be produced by one side or another at the slander hearing. It’s clear though that she, or possibly her family, has been less than truthful about the length of time she was interrogated for.
As for her statement about Lumumba. She said it in her interview ending at 1:45, she repeated it in her statement finishing at 5:45, she repeated it in the “gift” she wrote the following day. Admittedly it is all couched in the “half remembered dream” language of hers.
“To “lie” is to make an assertion that one knows to be false”
True. I think she is lying. I find it very difficult to believe that in hour ever much of the hour and fourty five minutes of questioning remained after they got onto the text message she became so confused that for two weeks until Lumumba’s alibi came good she was unsure whether what she had said about having been there and listened to Meredith’s screams was a dream or a half remembered truth.
“It does not constitute a positive assertion about the state of the world, and thus cannot be a “lie”.”
Philosophically I agree with you. I just don’t think it was sensible of her to make, and then repeat, statements to the police that one has to defend on the grounds that they are do not consitute positive assertions.
“Now, definitions don’t matter, of course; but the point is that the lack of correspondence between this particular account and the actual reality of the situation is not Bayesian evidence of her having wished to deceive police about her state of knowledge (which would in turn be Bayesian evidence of her guilt).”
How about the false alibi about the party, and the false alibi of using the computer? How many innocent people get caught in two false alibi’s? I’m excluding the alibi where she said she was home all night and he said she went out.
On the “liar” issue, and the implication of Lumumba:
What numerous people (not here, for the most part, but with some exceptions) have been either forgetting or ignoring, almost to the point of obstinacy, is that Knox did not come up with Lumumba’s name spontaneously. She and Lumumba had exchanged text messages on the night of the killing; in one of them, Amanda wrote “see you later”. Her interrogators questioned her aggressively about this correspondence, clearly with the implication that Lumumba (as well as Amanda herself) might have been involved in the murder. The idea of Lumumba’s guilt was planted in her head by the police. Knox’s “accusation” of Lumumba amounted to no more than saying “Well, all right, I guess maybe he could have done it.”
To “lie” is to make an assertion that one knows to be false. Amanda Knox was unambiguously clear about the fact that her “story” about Lumumba being the killer was a dreamlike vision, not an actual claimed memory. It does not constitute a positive assertion about the state of the world, and thus cannot be a “lie”. Now, definitions don’t matter, of course; but the point is that the lack of correspondence between this particular account and the actual reality of the situation is not Bayesian evidence of her having wished to deceive police about her state of knowledge (which would in turn be Bayesian evidence of her guilt).
“Knox’s “accusation” of Lumumba amounted to no more than saying “Well, all right, I guess maybe he could have done it.”″ I don’t want to cause you to rehash arguments you’ve had here already. There are so many other pieces of evidence of equal value as her ‘lie’. I am aware of the circumstances under which Lumumba was mentioned. At the moment all we can say about the circumstances are that she says she was slapped twice on the back of the head and shouted at, they say they didn’t. Perhaps evidence will be produced by one side or another at the slander hearing. It’s clear though that she, or possibly her family, has been less than truthful about the length of time she was interrogated for.
As for her statement about Lumumba. She said it in her interview ending at 1:45, she repeated it in her statement finishing at 5:45, she repeated it in the “gift” she wrote the following day. Admittedly it is all couched in the “half remembered dream” language of hers.
“To “lie” is to make an assertion that one knows to be false” True. I think she is lying. I find it very difficult to believe that in hour ever much of the hour and fourty five minutes of questioning remained after they got onto the text message she became so confused that for two weeks until Lumumba’s alibi came good she was unsure whether what she had said about having been there and listened to Meredith’s screams was a dream or a half remembered truth.
“It does not constitute a positive assertion about the state of the world, and thus cannot be a “lie”.” Philosophically I agree with you. I just don’t think it was sensible of her to make, and then repeat, statements to the police that one has to defend on the grounds that they are do not consitute positive assertions.
“Now, definitions don’t matter, of course; but the point is that the lack of correspondence between this particular account and the actual reality of the situation is not Bayesian evidence of her having wished to deceive police about her state of knowledge (which would in turn be Bayesian evidence of her guilt).” How about the false alibi about the party, and the false alibi of using the computer? How many innocent people get caught in two false alibi’s? I’m excluding the alibi where she said she was home all night and he said she went out.