...and then the first inscription would be false, etc.
If you are pointing out that would be unstable in that way, or ‘meaningless’, then OK. good point.
(I did specify that I see the statement “Both inscriptions are false” as false rather than just meaningless, though, and the first inscription would be of that same form if the second one were false.)
In any case I still defend the jester’s impression that statements have truth values (excluding ‘meaningless’ ones, as necessary), while still faulting him for something else entirely:
He was (still) modelling his solution after the earlier problem he had constructed (with the frog and the gold), or he was assuming a situation in which none of the statements were ‘meaningless’. Neither was warranted.
(That is one step closer to what many commenters have mentioned, but “This box contains the key.” is plainly just false, not unconnected to the world.)
...and then the first inscription would be false, etc.
If you are pointing out that would be unstable in that way, or ‘meaningless’, then OK. good point.
(I did specify that I see the statement “Both inscriptions are false” as false rather than just meaningless, though, and the first inscription would be of that same form if the second one were false.)
In any case I still defend the jester’s impression that statements have truth values (excluding ‘meaningless’ ones, as necessary), while still faulting him for something else entirely:
He was (still) modelling his solution after the earlier problem he had constructed (with the frog and the gold), or he was assuming a situation in which none of the statements were ‘meaningless’. Neither was warranted.
(That is one step closer to what many commenters have mentioned, but “This box contains the key.” is plainly just false, not unconnected to the world.)