Nick -
I completely misunderstood the talk metaphor. In fact, its a
wonderful example of how checking metaphors can improve
communication. I had you polishing the lens, making it cleaner, more
transparent, more accurate. Mak
ing it a better transducer of what lies beyond it. Therefore none of
my remarks made much sense.
An obvioius flaw in my use of the metaphor of course... you heard
"fine abrasive for further polishing" when I meant "thin scattering
layer to make legible micro-defects". On the other hand, your
misapprehension *might* be useful exaptatively (is that a word? - is
now) useful as you pointed out another facet (damnable optical
spatulas *everywhere*!) of trying to improve a tool (metaphor,
optical-element, spatula) by patiently "grinding finer", while not
necessarily measuring more acutely?
I think of models as formal metaphors, or as, in the case of agent
models, as contrived metaphors.
No daylight. The analysis continues from there: What did the user
intend from the metaphor, what did the hearer take from it, and to
what extent is the intent or inference a coherent understanding of the
metaphor.
(extended from Sociology/Ethnography - I find metaphors *in
communication* to be most apt as "boundary negotiation
artifacts"... a placeholder for something we both might understand
idiosyncratically to our own personal domain expertise/experience
which we then begin to beat on (with a wet noodle?) until we both
are sufficiently exhausted or agree that the thing held between us
is "good enough for who it's for" in the moment.
I experience "I wonder if we can actually communicate at all" very
differently from you. To me, it is one of those war-weary,
sophomoric shrugs that I have to analyze endlessly to try and find
any meat in it.
I *try* to hear the slap of Sophomores' shrug as the master's
encouragement stick (kyōsaku)**wrapped in a**kōan as it hits me
upside my big head... this is possibly a character flaw.
In conversations, do we usually not understand some of the
implications of what another person is saying? Yes. In conversations,
do we sometimes understand some of the implications of what the other
person is saying? Yes.
Is it a good idea if you are going to deal repeatedly with a person
to try to sort these categories out? Yes. Is assuming that what I
got out is what the person is putting into it always a good idea? No,
not always
The better I get to know someone, the more I realize I'm not really
understanding them (just like quantum mechanics and
postmodernism!). Even though my actual understanding (not my
apprehension thereof) is (nearly) monotonically increasing.
Guerin and I have. known each other now most of 20 years (you have a
jump on me I think, others here definitely do) and to anyone
listening in as we quaff brews and chomp nachos and flap our gums at
Tesuque Market, it probably sounds like we "speaka da same
language", and yet the point of those "stir it up" sessions (for me)
is to confuse myself.
This is the worst part about LLM chatting... those buggers are
incredibly good at pretending they understand every word. I say and
then going a step further and anticipating WTH I might be about to
tangent on (technically I'm pretty sure they don't anticipate
anything until my next prompt-utterance lands on them, but you get
the point?).
Is metaphor analysis one way of getting into that kind of
conversation? Yes. Is such analysis necessary in every context. No.
And yet it is my default, even if/when/as I keep it to myself. I
am a metaphorical creature (or believe I am) while others may not
embrace their inner spatula at all. I think I deleted the massive
missive where I related metaphorical understanding/communication to
episodic/diachronic identity.
It was clever... a good enough reason alone to delete it?
Consider yourself spared (unless I actually sent it and anyone read it)!
- Steve
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