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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Russ, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Categories are the stuff or ordinary logic, right. We are given the category swans. Knowing that all swans are white, and that this bird is a swan, we know that this bird is white; knowing that this bird is a swan, and that this bird is white, we infer (fallibly, but with some probability) that all swans are white; and knowing that this bird is white, and that all swans are white, we infer (fallibly, but with some probability) that this bird is a swan. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But nobody ever tells me where the category comes from.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Nick <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Nicholas Thompson<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Clark University<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:ThompNickSon2@gmail.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>ThompNickSon2@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/"><span style='color:#0563C1'>https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> Friam <friam-bounces@redfish.com> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Russ Abbott<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, October 5, 2020 4:11 PM<br><b>To:</b> The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [FRIAM] Shorthands for Brain-stuff<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#A64D79'>Can't we get fine approximations via apt categorizations? I can witness how others, that are similar to this<br>individual, behaved in the past. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> <br clear=all></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Of course we can and do create categories. They will often be useful, but they will almost certainly produce wrong answers in significant numbers of situations. When applied to people such categories often become stereotypes, which can do great damage to both individuals and society.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>-- Russ Abbott <br>Professor, Computer Science<br>California State University, Los Angeles<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Mon, Oct 5, 2020 at 2:02 PM jon zingale <<a href="mailto:jonzingale@gmail.com">jonzingale@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><p class=MsoNormal>"It can’t be necessary to adopt what amounts to a religion in order to<br>function with one another."<br><br>Maybe not a religion, but perhaps to recognize/engage one's beliefs relative<br>to another's beliefs?<br><br>"In many cases, one would have to know the complete history of a<br>person--from his childhood family and environment to whether someone gave<br>him the finger for no apparent reason earlier in the day--to know how he is<br>going react to any particular triggering event."<br><br>What about classes? Can't we get fine approximations via apt<br>categorizations? I can witness how others, that are similar to this<br>individual, behaved in the past.<br><br>"So, I think it's Fine and Good to *entertain* the idea of fully closed<br>logical abstraction floors and ceilings. But I think it's shaky metaphysics<br>to rely on them."<br><br>Agreed. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about openness on the left hand<br>and closedness on the right. There is no adapting to an ever-changing world<br>when we are closed, but at least we can write global theorems. When we are<br>open, we are open to catastrophe, and all progress to rectify discrepancies<br>between model and experience is inherently local.<br><br><br><br><br>--<br>Sent from: <a href="http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/" target="_blank">http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/</a><br><br>- .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. .<br>FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv<br>Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 <a href="http://bit.ly/virtualfriam" target="_blank">bit.ly/virtualfriam</a><br>un/subscribe <a href="http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com" target="_blank">http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com</a><br>archives: <a href="http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/FRIAM-COMIC" target="_blank">http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/<br>FRIAM-COMIC</a> <a href="http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/</a> <o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div></body></html>