DAVIS@EMBL.BITNET (06/09/87)
I have no wish to make a big deal out of this point, but I feel that Laura Creighton's remarks on precision in writing/expression must be dealt with. She writes: > Precision is a good thing. If one can say precisely what one means then > one will not be misunderstood. This, alas, is a pipe dream. There > is no way to say precisely what one means -- what one says does not > have precise meaning embedded in the words or the relationships between > the words. Rather, one shares a linguistic context with one's > audience. This means that the serach for precision is never ending. I'm afraid that there is a gross difference between the precise delineation of an idea, and over-precise word usage. To be sure, all of human activity is constantly capable of generating new words, and new uses for old words (radical! barf! hack! bug!) - but this alone does not justify the `jargonising' of debate. I believe that if two (or more) people wish to debate any issue, then they have a responsibility to do so on as much common ground as humanly possible. You think that Bertrand Russel was any less capable of a meaningful debate on various aspects of philosphy/cognition because he didn't have access to computerese ? The delineation of an idea is capable of being precise through carefully chosen analogy and metaphor. Such a route is actually better than jargonising since the writer/speaker stands a better chance of getting the audience to appreciate the *core* of an idea, rather than sit back satisfied that they *think* they understand his words...... Sorry to go on on this one, but so much of the debate in and around AI/cognitive science/philosphy of mind gets bogged down by people jargonising their positions, which forces replies to first hack through the cloud that surrounds potentially good (or bad) opinions. yours for jargon free AI, paul davis "i wash my own clothes, i wash my own hair, i wash my own opinions" nb: but my employers provide the washing machine, the shower & the computer davis@embl.bitnet