Krimel, Sorry you have to rush off. Lu's been in town for a day and a night, leaving me free to tap away without considering my other pressing chores. Mu-ha-ha-ah.
I'm following Ellul in thinking there is a hugely important difference in our sensory apparatus and what kinds of mentation they produce or influence. Eyes vs touch is one I haven't considered as deeply as eyes vs. ears, but even though she's not standing here tugging me physically, that I can feel, I'm "picturing" the look on her face when she "sees" I'm not working on Cassi's room, by dillettantin' around with you guys, and I feel I gotta go too. Not only that, I think I'm probably over my limit for the month. J On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 10:09 AM, Krimel <[email protected]> wrote: > John, > > Well of course you can make the case that the retina does indeed exist in > 3D > not only as the interior surface of a sphere but because even as a film of > neurons it has depth. To conceive of the retina as a 2D surface we have to > "idealize" it. By making it an ideal form we strip aside all of the nasty > irregularity of the "real" world and just focus on what is essential. This > is the Platonic move after all. > > I have to rush through this as I am being told I have to leave "Right Now." > But the sense of touch is really about four separate senses which include > balance heat pressure and so forth. All of the nerves that relay this kind > of information to us are arrayed in 3D space throughout our bodies. They > are processed in parallel, which I think is quite different than what > happens on the retina. > > Krimel > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: John Carl [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 12:57 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [MD] Levels in electronic computers > > Thanks Krimel, This is helpful. One question tho, > > On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 9:36 AM, Krimel <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Magnus, Arlo, Andy, Ian and Whoever; > > > > I think there is an important issue Magnus is missing at least with > respect > > to fractal boundaries. One of the major points Mandelbrot was making is > > that > > dimensions themselves are not discrete. "Fractal" is actually a made up > > word > > contracted from fractional dimensionality. I think it was Mandelbrot who > > used an example of this similar to your cube example. He said imagine a > > point that when you zoom in on it turns out to be the end of a strand of > > yarn which twists into a circle and then balls up into a sphere. The > object > > under observation is not zero, one two or three dimensional is has a > > fractional dimensional value. > > > > Also, in your example, in order to shift position, in order to see the > > square as a cube, you have to be able to pan over to a vantage point > where > > the difference is detectable. Thus in order to perceive things in three > > dimensions you have to exist in four. > > > > But from an ontological standpoint the only sense we have that actually > > gives us direct experience of three dimensions is touch. Constructing 3D > > from sight is always a perceptual process as the information is always > > presented to us on the 2D surface of our retinas. > > > > > > How is the surface of our finger skin any different than the sensory > perception of our eyes? Seems to me that both surfaces embedded with > nerves > have to be interpreted by the brain. "Panning" (perception over time) is > necessary for both. > > > Take care, > > Whoever > 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/md/archives.html > > 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/md/archives.html > 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/md/archives.html
