So the only Law of History is that there are no laws of history? Is there even a Theory of History?
Is Toynbee completely forgotten/scorned? Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 17, 2018, at 18:17, Billy Rojas <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Ernie: > > I like "fudge factor;" it is also used in architecture to accommodate > > small discrepancies in calculations that, in practical terms, don't mean too > much. > > Like being off 1/64th of an inch when the job allows for, say, wood shrinkage > of 1/32 of an inch. > > > > Clearly the fudge factor can apply to other problems, like generalizations > about history. > > > Think I'll stick with Professor Borrowdale on the usefulness of the junk > concept > at least in some cases, those that don't ruffle the feathers of people > in the physics community ;-) > > About laws of history, I should tell you that they beat this idea out of our > heads > in history grad school. I mean, who doesn't want to come up with a nice > glossy law of > how history works? I sure do, and way back when it was sort of a passion. > But that was before my MA program and everyone got serious about > what will fly and what will not. > > "So you think you have discovered a law of history, do you?" > "Yes, sir, its all written out here for you to review." > "Dammit, how many times do I have to tell you that there are NO laws of > history?" > "But sir, if you will just look at my paper..." > "I don't have time for such nonsense." > > At which the professor takes out a long sturdy stick and says, "assume the > position." > > WHACK. > > "Do you still believe there are laws of history?" > "Well, yes, because..." > > WHACK WHACK WHACK > > "Now do you still believe there are laws of history?" > > > "Owww, that is painful, owww, no sir, not any more." > (cry, cry, cry) > > > > Maybe this explains things better.... > > B. > > > > From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on > behalf of Centroids <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2018 2:58 PM > To: [email protected] > Cc: Billy Rojas > Subject: Re: [RC] F= M+A+ Junk ? @#% +22+ZX=wth > > Hi Billy, > >> I do think that the "junk" metaphor is useful, but technically you may well >> be quite right. >> > Actually, the more technical term is “fudge factor.” :-). That is an extra > term added to your formal theory in order to match reality. > > In fact Einstein incorrectly added one himself: > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_constant > Cosmological constant > en.wikipedia.org > In cosmology, the cosmological constant (usually denoted by the Greek capital > letter lambda: Λ) is the energy density of space, or vacuum energy, that... > > Also, it IS often quite useful to rewrite equations using “relativistic > corrections” that are small perturbations against the classical version. > > So your instincts weren’t that far off. Just don’t call them junk. :-) > > E > >> When it comes to physics you lost me around paragraph #2, >> >> so I don't know nearly enough to tell if there really is or is not some >> "junk" >> >> to allow for in the science involved. But the value of the "junk hypothesis" >> >> in the social sciences is that it makes us -your favorite word- humble >> >> when thinking we can devise laws of history when all that is currently >> >> possible are generalizations or maybe (maybe) weak laws that rest upon >> >> strong generalizations. >> > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Google Groups > groups.google.com > Google Groups allows you to create and participate in online forums and > email-based groups with a rich experience for community conversations. > > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > Radical Centrism | A Unifying Paradigm of Civil Society > radicalcentrism.org > A Unifying Paradigm of Civil Society > > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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