I dont think the issue is how to know what the 'truth' is, but whether one speaks with the clarity of one's own understanding of things. Whatever anyone else says, I want to hear what people genuinely believe they understand, not some miss mash of compromises intended to make them appear to be 'considerate' or 'balanced' or whatever. Anyone who observes the process by which the 'insurgency' in Iraq developed can't possibly conclude it was not an organic response of the indigenous culture, however counter productive it may appear to us, or deny that literally everyone in Iraq is valiantly defending their own sacred honor, and that the imposition of our culture on their way of life is meeting widespread vigorous rejection. It's unequivocal that we are using entirely the wrong tools for entirely the wrong purposes, totally disgracing the ideals of democracy, and that lots and lots of people see this clearly and are not speaking their own clear understanding of it.
I perhaps speak with more conviction of my own perceptions about these complex natural system (cultural) events because I have a very helpful rigorous method of observing the development of events in such things to see what's coming and where it came from. I highly recommend it. You just trace the continuities and it tells you oceans of things. The best starting point I can offer at the present my consulting service outline, www.synapse9.com/hds.htm If you want to know what's happening with complex natural systems all you need to do is learn how to watch. Phil Henshaw ¸¸¸¸.·´ ¯ `·.¸¸¸¸ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 680 Ft. Washington Ave NY NY 10040 tel: 212-795-4844 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] explorations: www.synapse9.com > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of steve smith > Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2007 7:55 PM > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Ants and Bees, Oh My. > > > > On Jul 10, 2007, at 8:32 AM, John Goekler wrote: > > > While I don't disagree with the broad assessments of the Iraq fiasco > > presented here, I think we have to very careful about valuing 'our' > > truth more highly than 'their' truth. > > > > There is, after all, a universe for every physicist. > > > > Is it not possible that 'truth' is no more than an emergent property > > of the CAS we might call the observer? (Or the 'reporting > party' as > > they say in the police logs.) > This is a very interesting thread... considering "truth" to be an > emergent property... it seems compelling on first blush. > > One of the important features of CAS would seem to be that it > inherently studies subjective phenomena. Not subjective in > the sense > that every observer can see something different, so much as > subjective > in the sense of highly contextual up to and including the observer. > > > Or as they say in the spook biz, 'Whose truth? Which truth?' > This kind of relativism (especially in the spook business) is really > awkward "spiritually" but I do look to CAS, etc. to help provide a > more scientific handle on epistimological considerations of complex > systems. > > > As for the Iraq war, I know plenty who are pro-war, both on principle > and in practice with this war. They are either hawkish in their > nature or overly pragmatic (in my opinion). I personally > have no use > for this war (or any systematic act of violence) and find most of the > rhetoric and value systems around it extremely questionable... but > most of my anti-war friends are not much help either... they make up > their own lies about the lies and then believe *those* lies > are better > than the ones they are fighting (they are only better for me > in that I > am sympathetic with their spirit). > > Lies and Truths are "duals" but not opposites, not symmetric. > I wonder > what your (collective and individual) take on what Lies are in CAS as > compared to Truths. > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
