Then it is a good thing that computer science did not listen to you Kim,
regarding the concept of "abstraction" and "abstract classes" {e.g. templates
for concrete entities fully implementing the abstracted methods and properties}
being -- in your opinion -- useless.Abstraction is one of the guiding
principles of good software design; without abstraction and the ability to
design abstract partially implemented classes, building good extensible
software would become much harder to do.In an informatic sense an entity is
abstract when it cannot be instantiated (until the abstract bits are given a
concrete implementation by a derived concrete class.The ultimate abstraction,
in computer science is the interface, which defines a pure contract and is
without implementation. Interfaces can never e instantiated into real objects;
only the concrete implementation of the interface can ever exist in reality.
However, the interface does provide the guiding contract; it is the template
which the implementing concrete instance must implement or fulfill. Interfaces
and abstract base classes are both exceedingly important and useful in modern
software design.Layers of abstraction are of central importance to the
architecture and building of non trivial software. If you value software and
all the products and services software makes possible then you too value
abstraction and the ability to think and interact in terms of abstractions....
whether or not you are aware of them. -Chris
From: Kim Jones <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2015 1:32 PM
Subject: Re: Isn't this group supposed to be about trying to figure out how
the universe works and not so much about religion and insults?
On 21 Jan 2015, at 4:56 am, John Clark <[email protected]> wrote:
On Tue, Jan 20, 2015 at 4:20 AM, Kim Jones <[email protected]> wrote:
> stop using that ridiculous and meaningless art term "abstract". [...] Nothing
> is "abstract".
So you're saying that the word "abstract" should be removed from the English
language because it will never be needed?!
John K Clark
It's not a word that should be used, no. It implies that something is taking a
quick holiday in the Platonic realm, merely for the benefit of the researcher
who will fairly soon remove those parentheses and pluck said object "out of"
abstraction land and back into "the real world". It's another example of how
embedded in our culture is the idea that the non-physical exists, yet this word
seems to sanctify such an anomaly for a physicalist, momentarily allowing him
to use it with impunity. Platonists have no need for such a term because
everything is abstract already. The problem of needing such a word to make it
possible for a physicalist to talk about the immaterial without being
kneecapped by other physicalists occurs only in a "material universe."
I believe there exist words that are dangerously misleading and this is one of
them. I equally believe there are great many more words which should exist but
which don't, except as a "need".
There are only needs. Needs are proof of the existence of persons. These needs
get expressed as beliefs which are frozen as words. Needs, however, evolve
along with the environment they relate to and some needs can even or should
even evaporate as our knowledge increases. Language continually lugs around
ancient needs frozen solid. This is a very great problem in communication.
K
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