Russ,
I have been looking for a book for many years that does the same kind of
presentation of chemistry for the general reader that many mathematics and
biology books do. Is The Periodic Table that book?
N
Nicholas S. Thompson
Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,
Clark University ([email protected])
http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/
----- Original Message -----
From: Russ Abbott
To: ERIC P. CHARLES
Cc: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
Sent: 9/25/2009 10:53:51 AM
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Inquiry to Emergence Group
I guess it's fine to ask how different people would define a particular word.
But it seems to me that unless one's purpose is the study of history, the more
important question is how best to define/use a word -- that is, what is the
most useful way to frame a concept. It sometimes seems to me that many people
prefer to think of emergence as some sort of mysterious concept rather than to
try to come to a clear understanding of what the best way is to understand and
use the term.
In his book on the Periodic Table Eric Scerri noted that people originally
thought that atomic elements were characterized by their atomic weight. That
was close, but what really characterizes elements are their atomic number, not
their atomic weight. Once it became clear that atomic number was the right way
to think about how elements are characterized, discussions of using atomic
weight for that characterization may be of historical value, but they are not
useful to understanding the concept -- and prolonging that discussion is
counter-productive.
-- Russ A
On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 9:15 AM, ERIC P. CHARLES <[email protected]> wrote:
Good lord man, it is still morning!
Russ,
Yours was a completely satisfying answer! At least in so much as it showed how
the sweater example would be treated within one system of dealing with
emergence. Yet, it cannot completely satisfy my inquiry, because the original
was not about any particular individual's way of thinking about things, but
about the breadth of established ways. I am hoping that additional answers
(such as that given by Glen) will appear, that I may better understand (read,
be able to describe in my own terms) how such a mundane example is handled by
different systems. In particular, I ask the question publicly, because I am
interested in other people's understanding of the alternatives.
Eric
P.S. I feel guilty already. I'm trying hard not to post more than once a day on
any of my lists and already I am up to four on this one! Let no one else feel
slighted if their post does not receive a reply until some time tomorrow, maybe
even Sunday. Rest assured that I am reading them throughtout the day and
dwelling upon them.
On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 12:03 PM, Russ Abbott <[email protected]> wrote:
Eric,
I took your initial question as having been asked in good faith. And I answered
in good faith. It seems to me that you owe me a response to my answer. Did it
satisfy your question? If not, why not?
-- Russ A
On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 8:58 AM, ERIC P. CHARLES <[email protected]> wrote:
Thus spoke Glen:
"Just to be clear, you're asking for (at least one of) us
to simulate what(some or all of) the authors in Bedau & Humphreys would
say about whetheror not the sweater emerges from the thread? I.e. you are
NOT asking for OURopinions. "Yeah, that was the
idea!Regarding Rosen: I am intriguedthat the answer was entirely in
terms of the cause, rather than the entityitself.
Thanks!Eric
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Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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============================================================FRIAM Applied
Complexity Group listservMeets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's
Collegelectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at
http://www.friam.org
Eric Charles
Professional Student and
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Penn State University
Altoona, PA 16601
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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
