Re: the role of metaphor in scientific thought
Posted by
Eric Charles-2 on
Jun 23, 2017; 2:00am
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/the-role-of-metaphor-in-scientific-thought-tp7590080p7590102.html
Glen said: "So, the loop of unmarried <=> bachelor has information in it, even
if the only information is (as in your example), the guy learns that
because the condition has another name, perhaps there are other ways of
thinking about it ... other _circles_ to use."
This reminds me that, in another context, Nick complained to me quite a bit about Peirce's asserting that that any concept was simply a collection of conceived "practical" consequences. He felt that the term "practical" was unnecessary, and lead to confusions. I think this is a good example of why Peirce used that term, and felt it necessary.
Perice would point out that the practical consequences of being "unmarried" are identical
to the practical consequences of being "a bachelor." Thus, though the spellings be different, there is only one idea at play there (in Peirce-land... if we are thinking clearly). This is the tautology that Nick is pointing at, and he isn't wrong.
And yet, Glen is still clearly correct that using one term or the other may more readily invoke certain ideas in a listener. Those aren't practical differences in Peirce's sense- they are not differences in practice that would achieve if one tested the unique implications of one label or the other (as there are no contrasting unique implications). The value of having the multiple terms is rhetorical, not logical.
What to do with such differences..............
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