Mass of Higgs Particle

For a while I thought that physicists had explained the origin of Mass by describing it as the interaction of particles and the Higgs particle.

By the SRH then the Higgs particle can’t have the quality of Mass: that is it can’t have either a zero or non-zero mass.

It turns out that the Higgs Particle has mass, and that interaction with the Higgs explains only the masses of other particles but not the Higgs (obviously by SRH). But assuming that the theory proposed that the Higgs gained mass from interaction with itself, reveals the very fine distinction required for the SRH.

Borrowing the terms “inner” and “outer” from Hofstadter we can examine the situation where a particle. Suppose it gains mass by interacting with itself. Now the “inner” quality of the particle, the nature of the particle that enables it to give mass, must be mass-less. This would mean that mass is simply an “outer” quality, a superficial veil draped over the core nature of the particle.

Returning to sentences this distinction enables a better analysis of the sentence: “This sentence has five words.” The inner nature of the sentence is indeed a reference to itself, but it refers only to an “outer” quality that has no intrinsic relationship with the essence of the sentence. Using Google Translator into Chinese gives “這句話有五個字" which in the “inner” sense is the same, but clearly the outer quality is very different. Thus the sentence escapes actual “inner self” reference and so escapes paradox.

So just as Use/Mention is a distinction, so Inner/Outer are distinctions just as Hofstadter argues. I need now re-read that chapter of GEB to understand the 3rd distinction he makes and whether that is relevant also.