Clarification/Follow-up by Jon1667 on 10/25/03 10:04 am:
If we can understand it whether it be true or false!
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How do we tell whether we understand it, or we only believe we understand it? In the Alice books Alice watches the Cheshire cat slowly disappear until only the cat's grin and lips are left. And then, we are told, that even the lips disappear and only the grin is left? Do you understand how a grin can exist alone, without the lips?

Clarification/Follow-up by tonyrey on 10/25/03 2:53 pm:
I agree with you and would add that there are degrees of intelligibility which give rise to deep understanding at one extreme and perplexity at the other. Whether a specific sentence makes sense to a particular person may also depend on his beliefs and to a certain extent on his open-mindedness.

Clarification/Follow-up by Jon1667 on 10/25/03 7:31 pm:
But a person, I maintain, may believe that a sentence makes sense (makes sense "to him" which means the same as "he believes it makes sense.") and yet, he may be mistaken so that the sentence, in fact, does not make sense. Would it matter if someone claimed that the sentence "Quadruplicity drinks procrastination" made sense to him? It is not that I would not believe him, but I would believe he was wrong. Sincerity is, I am sure you know, not the test of truth or understanding.

Open-mindedness is a good thing; but it should not be confused with empty-headedness, which is a bad thing.