Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id DAA24995 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 19 Apr 2002 03:31:26 +0100 Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 12:25:34 +1000 Subject: Re: Thoughts and Perceptions Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed From: John Wilkins <wilkins@wehi.edu.au> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable In-Reply-To: <005801c1e72a$df4ea340$5324f4d8@teddace> Message-Id: <BA49DF38-533C-11D6-90FB-003065B4D1F0@wehi.edu.au> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.481) Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
On Friday, April 19, 2002, at 08:46 AM, Dace wrote:
> Hi Wade,
>
> You're absolutely justified in standing up for the distinction between
> concept and reality. Even if Bill S. is right that the concept of
> gravity will one day be dismissed by physics, this doesn't change the
> fact that our current concept refers to something real. But factuality i
> sn't identical to actuality. A fact is a concept that happens to be true,
> at least in the context of our general conceptual schema, which is
> always subject to revision.
.....
There is a classical error that I have called the Abstraction Fallacy
before - I found a beautiful quote in Boethius (5thC):
"It is clear... that this happened to him [Epicurus], and to
others, because they thought, through inexperience in logical
argument, that everything they comprehended in reasoning
occurred also in things themselves. " [_Second
Commentary of Porphyry's Isagoge_, Bk I, sect 2]
>
> Looks like the same semantic blind-spot that tripped you up last summer
> on "belief."
>
> Ted
>
>
> On Thursday, April 18, 2002, at 11:08 , Grant Callaghan wrote:
>
> > What actually happened was fact at every stage of the experiment. The
> > concept just guided the experiment.
>
> You betcha.
>
> > What the word "fact" means is the same as with any other word: it
> > depends on what it is being used to mean.
>
> "Yes, that is what the _word_ for fact does," said the White Knight.
>
> - - Wade
>
-- John S Wilkins Head, Communication Services The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Parkville, Victoria, Australia===============================This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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