Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id WAA01039 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 10 May 2002 22:15:50 +0100 Message-ID: <004001c1f865$f85cc820$5e2ffea9@oemcomputer> From: "Philip Jonkers" <philipjonkers@prodigy.net> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <570E2BEE7BC5A34684EE5914FCFC368C10FCBA@fillan.stir.ac.uk> <007801c1f840$23a38940$856c4518@no.shawcable.net> Subject: Re: future language Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 14:02:16 -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
Douglas:
> The mathematical error is a neglect of the importance of error-covariance.
It
> is explained on my homepage, (all too inadequately, sad to say), with a
> stock-market prediction example (roughly, don't hire the triplets to
predict
> the market, they won't correct each other's mistakes but will reinforce
them,
> and also then mistakenly believe their consensus bodes well for accuracy),
> instead hire three very different people to do it, so they are only likely
to
> agree when all three are right about something. On my home page I take
many
> more words to say this, and have only an artificial example, but there is
a
> telling little table, so it's better than nothing. If tolerant but
determined,
> try visiting it at www.SocialTechnology.Org/dpwilson.html.
Error-covariance, interesting... indeed it all adds up.
If you define the term rational as being a well-thought through kind of
decision-making
process which takes all possible options into consideration, then a diverse
team of decision-making people is not only desirable but often essential.
Hence a rational board means that it has to consist of a group of people
with diverse opinions, mind-sets etc. OTOH, if you have a bunch a people
who all roughly share the same opinions, ideas, idealogy etc. it is likely
that they
fail to take all options into consideration prior to the act of
decision-making.
Then such narrow-minded decision-making boards
are irrational by definition. Hence, fascism being based on such political
uniformity
is intrinsically irrational. A fact we all already knew intuitively (at
least) of course.
Thanks Douglas,
Phil.
===============================================================
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
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri May 10 2002 - 22:27:33 BST