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<p>Nick -</p>
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<div>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 </div>
<div>ing it a better transducer of what lies beyond it.
Therefore none of my remarks made much sense.</div>
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<blockquote>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?</blockquote>
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<div><br>
</div>
<div>I think of models as formal metaphors, or as, in the case
of agent models, as contrived metaphors. </div>
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<div> 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. </div>
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<blockquote>(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. </blockquote>
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<div>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. </div>
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<p>I *try* to hear the slap of Sophomores' shrug as the master's
encouragement stick <span data-start="89" data-end="122">(ky\u014dsaku)</span><strong
data-start="89" data-end="122"> </strong><span data-start="89"
data-end="122">wrapped in a<strong> </strong></span><span
data-start="131" data-end="169">k\u014dan as it hits me upside my
big head... this is possibly a character flaw. </span></p>
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<div>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.</div>
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<div> 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</div>
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<blockquote>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.<br>
<br>
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. <br>
<br>
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?).</blockquote>
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<div>Is metaphor analysis one way of getting into that kind of
conversation? Yes. Is such analysis necessary in every
context. No. </div>
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<p>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. </p>
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<p>It was clever... a good enough reason alone to delete it?</p>
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<p>Consider yourself spared (unless I actually sent it and anyone
read it)!</p>
<p>- Steve</p>
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