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From: DAVIS@EMBL.BITNET.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.ai.digest
Subject: framing problems
Message-ID: <8705280722.AA09419@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Thu, 21-May-87 08:01:33 EDT
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Posted: Thu May 21 08:01:33 1987
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I'd like to briefly say that perhaps an even more astounding problem
than that proposed by Stevan Harnad is that connected with the means by
which literate, intelligent and interested persons can totally obscure
the central core of an idea by the use of unnecessarily obtuse jargon.

If we're going to discuss the more philosphical end of AI (*yes please!*),
then we don't *have* to throw everyone else off the track by bogging
down the chat in a maze of terms intended to have *such* a precise meaning
as to prevent anyone but the author from truly grasping the intended meaning.

Hofstadter's mention of the journal "Art - Language" in metamagical themas
should be than just humourous - it should have warned us all about the
dangers of ridiculously narrow terminology.

thankyou, and goodnight (yaaaawn!)

paul davis

netmail: davis@embl.bitnet

"and when calculating the promise, remember this - the real of the matter -
 `to shatter tradition makes us *feel* free, but tradition, is a static
  defence against a chaotic community, and what do we gain by destroying it'?"