Doug - > Don't get me wrong: I do not totally reject reductionism. Well, actually, I do, as regards to finding any utility in it for myself. But > other people seem to swear by it, and I am truly happy for them.
From what I know of you (for the rest of the list, Doug and are friends off-list too), you can be *very* reductionist in your thinking and approach to problems. You are more likely than anyone I know to reduce the practice of putting on your pants in the morning to first placing one foot into one leg, then the other, rather than trying to jump into them all at once. On the other hand (if you have read through my treatise submitted a few moments ago), I believe you to be one of "us" how know when reductionism applies and when it doesn't. I can imagine that what you might mean is that "reductionism does not apply to any of the truly interesting problems I work on". > I'm pretty sure that by now I've managed to develop the /ability to > understand the emergent in terms of the phenomena from and process(es) > by which it emerges./ (The italicized are the words you quoted. I > don't think I'd ever say anything like that. If I ever do, would > someone please just shoot me?) Should I use one of your own guns or steal one from from one of our died-in-the-wool NRA (National Reductionists Association) member friends? - Steve ============================================================ 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
