So, you get the representation of the unknown context of a thing by somehow knowing that the thing is not well described without it? How do you know what you're missing? I don't get where you propose the missing information to come from.
Phil > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of glen e. p. ropella > Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 2:29 PM > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Rosen, Life Itself - in context > > Phil Henshaw wrote: > > You say math can jump in and out of context with 'meta-math', "a > mechanistic > > method for "jumping out" of the context of any given mechanism into > its > > entailing context." If you have a complete mathematical > representation of > > a button, how would you derive a representation of a button hole from > it? > > That's a trick question. You cannot have a complete math > representation > of a button without also having a complete math representation of a > button hole. So, the representation of the button hole would depend > almost entirely on the representation of the button. > > Note that you didn't say "plastic disk with 4 holes and a dimple in the > middle" ... you said "button", which directly implies the functions in > which a "button" participates, which is what requires the > representation > of the "button hole." > > Oh how we reductionists long for a teleology free language! [grin] > > -- > glen e. p. ropella, 971-219-3846, http://tempusdictum.com > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
