And BTW Platt, This is where you chronic dishonesty is distinctly tiresome.
No-one said dichotomies are immoral. No-one said dichotomies are not useful. My view is they hide complexity, they are not fundamental, and when debating subject that are clearly difficult (if not complicated) they are a hindrance to progress. But faced with a binary choice in (real) life, choose your dichotomy is fine by me. Shall I hit send or not ? You guess. Ian On 2/27/08, ian glendinning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Not read the article yet Platt, but > > MOST current computers are built on binary logic, but NOT all, and > that binary logic is not at all fundamental to computing / information > processing. > > EINSTEIN reminds us about another side of Occam "Things should be as > simple as possible, but NOT more so." > > PREGNANCY - it is possible to be in a DOUBTFUL state of pregnancy - > miscarriage at least and witness the highly emotive pro-life debate > and drawing lines around conception and viability. I wouldn't > celebrate too soon - 18 weeks maybe ? > > Ian > > On 2/27/08, Platt Holden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi All: > > > > Every once in awhile someone on this site gets slammed for suggesting a > > dichotomy (right/wrong, good/evil, white/black) or as it is termed in > > academe, "binary thinking." A wonderfully funny article on this subject can > > be found at: > > > > http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=0d88916qty2kc0t0b0gn0bsz1fmdjp7k > > > > With tongue in check, the author points out that: "Binary logic structures > > the very computers on which most attacks on binary logic are composed." > > He blames the assault on dichotomies on an academic "cult of complication," > > and suggests, "Perhaps it is time to return to Ockham's principle of > > parsimony, his so-called razor: 'Plurality is not to be posited without > > necessity.' " > > > > The author is a professor of history, adding credibility to his mocking of > > academic devotion to "elevating confusion." Puncturing the "dichotomies are > > bad" balloon he points out that "some binary distinctions are worth > > recognizing if not celebrating, like the distinction between pregnant and > > not pregnant." > > > > Platt > > > > 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/ > > > 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/
