1. <
networking> The
country code for Mauritius.
2. <
philosophy> /moo/ The correct answer to the classic trick
question "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?". Assuming
that you have no wife or you have never beaten your wife, the
answer "yes" is wrong because it implies that you used to beat
your wife and then stopped, but "no" is worse because it
suggests that you have one and are still beating her.
According to various Discordians and Douglas Hofstadter the
correct answer is usually "
mu", a Japanese word alleged to
mean "Your question cannot be answered because it depends on
incorrect assumptions".
Hackers tend to be sensitive to logical inadequacies in
language, and many have adopted this suggestion with
enthusiasm. The word "
mu" is actually from Chinese, meaning
"nothing"; it is used in mainstream Japanese in that sense,
but native speakers do not recognise the Discordian
question-denying use. It almost certainly derives from
overgeneralisation of the answer in the following well-known
Rinzei Zen teaching riddle:
A monk asked Joshu, "Does a dog have the Buddha nature?"
Joshu retorted, "
Mu!"
See also
has the X nature,
AI Koan.
[
Douglas Hofstadter, "Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden
Braid"].
[
Jargon File]
(2000-11-22)