On Thu, 3 Mar 2011 09:06:18 Stan Goodman wrote:
In my private view, it is reasonable to expect that names of invented entities in a complex system be somehow related to their function. [...]
<off-topic> That is a very Hebrew way of looking at the world, Stan (and that is not intended to be a negative or derogatory comment, btw, merely an observation). Hebrew thought/language tends to be oriented around function (given that all Hebrew words have a verbal root) whereas Greco-Roman thought (which has heavily influenced most of the Western world particularly in the sciences)is concerned first with form. Not that I want to start a philosophical argument here, but it was just an interesting comment that caused me to reflect. What is interesting to observe on mailing lists such as this is the diversity of cultural paradigms that contributors bring, which can result in people having slightly (or sometimes wildly) different interpretations for certain words. This in turn means that even though we use the same terms, we run into miscommunications and misundersrtanding because the same words don't mean the same thing to every reader. Many of our expectations (and uses of language) are paradigmatic, even though we aren't necessarily conscious of it. </off-topic> -- =================================================== Rodney Baker VK5ZTV rodney.baker@iinet.net.au =================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org