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From: dan@othello.usc.edu (Dan Antzoulatos)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
Subject: Re: PARADIGM FLAME
Message-ID: <4936@oberon.USC.EDU>
Date: Fri, 30-Oct-87 22:40:23 EST
Article-I.D.: oberon.4936
Posted: Fri Oct 30 22:40:23 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Nov-87 06:03:41 EST
References: <236@titn.TITN> <5472@milano.UUCP>
Sender: nobody@oberon.USC.EDU
Reply-To: dan@othello.usc.edu (Dan Antzoulatos)
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 45
Keywords: paradigm != model

In defense of article <236@titn.TITN> jordan@titn.TITN (Jordan Bortz):

Dictionaries can be misinterpreted ... just like the bible.

The word "paradigm" comes from the Greek word "paradigma" which means EXAMPLE;
nothing more, nothing less. Since English already has such a word, paradigm has
taken on the meaning of a special kind of example, one that illustrates the 
underlying concept -- a "didactic" example. Academicians, wanting to be as 
esoteric as possible, have seized upon this word in full force. Some, 
apparently, have extended its true meaning  beyond that which is lucidly
defined in the Oxford American Dictionary:

     "something serving as an example or model of how things should be done".

Note that the meaning of the word "model" here is not that of a precise 
scientific model. Rather, it conveys the meaning of "pattern". You just kind 
of trace things out. You don't have to follow it precisely. This is also the
meaning used in other dictionary definitions. So, the problem is that the word
"model" has more than one interpreteation and some just pick the wrong one.8-) 

So,  when you feel like getting esoteric, "paradigm" should only be
used to describe special examples or patterns, but never 8-(  
to describe a precise engineering model.

Examples
--------
  	GOOD						BAD
The master's sample code was a		To bring prosperity to this nation,
paradigm of event-driven 		use the supply-side economic paradigm.
programming.


Of course, there are those who prefer to pronounce my name "Smith" ...

Dan Antzoulatos	[USC - Signal and Image Processing Institute]

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