> > We have also talked about the lack of rigorous mathematical > representation of complexity and that being a barrier to progress > in the science.
the idea of magic raised your hackles - the above sentence raises mine. implicit in the sentence is some variation of "mathematics is a better / superior / privileged / real language compared to all other languages used by humans to think and therefore we cannot really think properly or rigorously unless we are thinking mathematically." this annoying attitude is expressed / believed by a majority of intellectuals and academicians - not just mathematicians. We cannot be "scientists" unless we 'mathematize' our field of enquiry. Interestingly enough, all advances in science stem from the uses of metaphor - not mathematics. (see Quine) The premature rush to abandon the language of metaphor and publish using arcane squiggles is the real - in my not very humble opinion - barrier to progress. davew ============================================================ 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
