On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 10:09 AM, Jim Bromer <jimbro...@gmail.com> wrote: > > However, it must be a mistake to become over reliant on using insights like > this by treating the referents of such statements as if they were specific. > You cannot interpret that statement as if it were an absolute statement > that referred to a hard edged truth. And because abstractions can be > generalized, there are different levels of generalization and there are > different contexts of specification, even when a word is used to designate a > specific object it may need a great deal of clarification to comprehend what > is being said in a conversation. To make matters worse, human beings rely > on different interpretations of their own use of a symbol during their > musings. > > > > So while I agree with you that words and phrases do not have specific > referents, at the same time I think it is obvious that the advantage of > using language is that words and phrases can refer to something (or some > level of generalization). > > > > During communication we do use language as a method to understand what the > other person is saying and using that communication to come to better > insights about the subject matter ourselves. The effort to understand > what other people are saying does involve making guesses and receiving > clarification. This is where implicit prediction about the meaning of a > term comes to play. > Jim Bromer >
I did not express that part very well. If words and phrases do not always have specific references, then it would be a mistake to use the insight (that words and phrases do not have specific references) as if it designated some simple and reliable rule that could be unfailingly applied to it's targeted reference. If the statement is true (and it seems to be), then in order for it to be consistent it must be a flexible rule (as it seems to be) that is open to exceptions and interpretation. ... During communication we do use language as a method to convey specific ideas and often this process can help us to build better insights about the subject that we are discussing. The effort to understand what other people are saying (and the effort to express ourselves more clearly) does involve making guesses (or predictions) about what another person is saying (and about how our ideas will be interpreted). Jim Bromer ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/8660244-d750797a Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=8660244-6e7fb59c Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
