Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id RAA20491 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 1 May 2002 17:31:14 +0100 Message-ID: <003601c1f12b$daa32fe0$5e2ffea9@oemcomputer> From: "Philip Jonkers" <philipjonkers@prodigy.net> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <LAW2-F107BjBRHwLozf000072ec@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: teleology and language Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 09:18:34 -0700 Organization: Prodigy Internet Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-Mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Wade:
> >Counterpoint to your specific examples: just try to prove Fermat's last
> >theorem by using Greek mathematics. :)
Grant:
> Try using ancient Greek to tell someone how to build a 747 or a computer.
> Try using it to discuss genetics or modern cosmology. How about a lecture
> on quantum mechanics? Walt Whitman's language was suitable for his time
and
> culture. You couldn't restrict yourself to it and do much of anything in
> any field but literature today.
Good point, but even modern English has its own limits.
When I studied physics I learned that English, or any other spoken language
for that matter,
in rather ill-suited to use in describing quantum mechanical dynamics.
The reason being that English is based on a classical
interpretation of the world.
Phil.
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