http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(illusion) I'm not sure which part you didn't ... | Hacker News

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rntz on June 21, 2010 | parent | context | favorite | on: Letter to a Young PL Enthusiast

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(illusion)

I'm not sure which part you didn't understand; this is my best guess. I believe the author is trying to say that syntax is a superficial appearance, and not relevant to - indeed, a distraction from - understanding the true beauty or ugliness, utility or disutility, of the concepts embodied in a language.

aerique on June 21, 2010 [–]

At first I didn't understand the whole paragraph (I had just woken up :-) ) and then it was just the Maya part. I didn't understand his use of Maya.

Thanks for the explanation. It seems the author and I have got a similar view on syntax (how can we not since we both seems to admire Alan Perlis!).

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