At 07:49 AM 2/18/2008, you wrote: >Marsha, as a note to the exchange below you wrote: > > "Hmmm. We must be cautious of a time-scale >chauvinism." > > I think I am cautious so as to avoid chauvinism but, >what would you mean by "time-scale chauvinism'? >Interested to know so as not to fall into it. > > Jorge
Greetings Jorge, Daniel Dennett speaks of 'time-scale chauvinism' in his book 'Kinds of Minds'. It's the bias in favor of our own normal pace that makes us misjudge _patterns of evolutionary change_. Change that can take place at such a slow pace that they are invisible, or non-existent, at our normal information uptake, so easy to overlook. Also, would you call 'science' a 'thing'? Seems to me it is a cluster of spovs, or a spov with component spovs. Marsha >============= >David M. writes: > >"Surely a rock recurs, just by going on being >a rock, it repeats its rockness over time, a >diachronic >rather than synchronic pattern/repeat. " > >Jorge: Hardly. Recurs in its sense:: "to happen, come >up or show up repeatedly" > is quite clear. If I show up repeatedly at a bar it >means that I am not at the bar in between the >occasions that "I show up". Diachronic is supposed to >mean "change" over time, not constancy over time as in >the case of a rock that is always there. A classic >example of diachrony is the function (+_ sq. y) which >gives a zigzag line, (once it is over 0 and next it is >under 0). A continuous straight line is not considered >a pattern, neither the light emitted by a (stable) >electric bulb, etc. The same holds by a rock 'being >there' always, all the time. > > A repeated 'rockness' or a repeated 'loneliness >or a repeated 'smoothness' , if English doesn't fail >me, implies a feature that appears, shows up, again >and again. Not that it's always present. (From Latin >"re-" again) Which brings to my mind what the fellow >said when flattering his old auntie --- But auntie, >your skin is remarkably smooth between your >wrinkles!? > > If I were to draw this: _________________ >I wouldn't be representing a pattern. Whereas if I >drew this: ......................... >it would be a pattern where the dot recurs, reappears >at regular intervals. Those two examples lead to an >interesting question; suppose we went on decreasing >the gaps between the dots, at which point would a >pattern become a non-pattern? > Is the buzzing of a fly a sound pattern or a steady >signal? How could we tell? > > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ >Sent from Yahoo! Mail - a smarter inbox http://uk.mail.yahoo.com > >Moq_Discuss mailing list >Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. >http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org >Archives: >http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ >http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars... Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
