[FRIAM] Just broke grok3

[Marcus Daniels]

Mechanically, Grok seems kind of buggy to me.  One thing that might be happening is that it has hit a run time limit for the account's subscription (or the absence of one) and fails to get that message back to the user because somewhere in its internal conversation it was blocked.



I do see Mr. Musk bragging about how good Grok is at "over eighteen" topics.  Well, that's one way to stand out, I suppose.



Marcus



Claude Sonnet 3.7 with Extend Thinking

----

There's no contradiction in Quine's position when we examine it carefully.

What appears paradoxical actually reveals his nuanced understanding of how

language functions in scientific inquiry.

Quine distinguishes between two contexts:



In established scientific domains, conflating metaphor with fact is

dangerous because it can lead to category errors and conceptual confusion.

Here, precision matters.

At the "fringes" of science-where we encounter novel phenomena or unexplored

territories-metaphor becomes indispensable precisely because literal

language hasn't yet been developed for these domains.



The key insight is that metaphors serve as temporary scaffolding. They help

scientists conceptualize unfamiliar territory and develop initial

hypotheses. However, as understanding advances, these metaphors should

either be refined into more precise literal descriptions or explicitly

recognized as metaphorical.

This view aligns with Quine's naturalism and empiricism. He acknowledges

that all language, including scientific language, begins with the

metaphorical extension of familiar terms to new domains. The crucial point

is that we remain conscious of when we're using metaphor and don't mistake

the map for the territory.

Rather than contradicting himself, Quine is highlighting the tension

inherent in scientific language-we need metaphors to advance knowledge while

simultaneously maintaining vigilance against their limitations.





Gemini Advanced 2.5 Pro:

----

(attached)













-----Original Message-----

From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com<mailto:friam-bounces at redfish.com>> On Behalf Of Prof David West

Sent: Sunday, May 4, 2025 3:02 PM

To: friam at redfish.com<mailto:friam at redfish.com>

Subject: [FRIAM] Just broke grok3



Query: Quine warns against conflating metaphor and fact but also states that

metaphor is essential at the fringes of science. Is there a contradiction

here?



30 minutes, still no response.



Davew



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