Re: JP Barlow, Ph.D, Social Engineering

From: Dr. Rich Artym (rartym@galacta.demon.co.uk)
Date: Wed Sep 25 1996 - 17:37:30 MDT


In message <199609251712.KAA21169@igc3.igc.apc.org>, Kathryn Aegis writes:

> >Kathryn, the rise of fuzzy logic is not an excuse for mental sloppiness!
> <snip>
> >facts very formally, and you can *NOT* claim the backing of Bart Kosko
> >if what you are trying to do is to manipulate uncertain facts sloppily.
>
> Where did this come from? Where did I make this kind of claim?

Kathryn, unless I (and others) have misunderstood what you've been saying,
for quite some time now now you've been arguing in favour of using in
social studies, methods less formal than science advocates, while STILL
wishing to call the studies sciences --- in other words, you've been trying
to soften the strict foundations of science, or at least to muddy the
waters in such a way that a non-science can appear as a science. Then
you quoted an item from Bart Kosko which seems to have only one purpose
in the context of this thread, namely to say (my paraphrase) "everything
is uncertain", this presumably being your way of finding backing for your
desired de-formalization of science to encompass social studies as well.

If the above is not the case then clearly I have got the wrong end of the
stick, and apparently others have too. If so then please try to re-explain
and I'll try to reassess it.

Cheers,

Rich.

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