Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!thirdi!sarge
From: sarge@thirdi.UUCP (Sarge Gerbode)
Newsgroups: sci.misc
Subject: Re: The nature of reality.
Message-ID: <365@thirdi.UUCP>
Date: 23 Mar 88 07:57:56 GMT
References: <343@thirdi.UUCP> <732@actnyc.UUCP> <356@thirdi.UUCP> <27440@linus.UUCP> <52@avsd.UUCP>
Reply-To: sarge@thirdi.UUCP (Sarge Gerbode)
Organization: Institute for Research in Metapsychology
Lines: 24

In article <52@avsd.UUCP> govett@avsd.UUCP (David Govett) writes:
>
>How can you determine the accuracy of another's "map" if your "map" is
>inaccurate?

You can't, in any absolute sense.  But elements of another's map can "fill in
the gaps" in yours, thus completing the picture.  With actual
(non-metaophorical) maps, I think that one would judge the accuracy of
another's map by whether the parts that corresponded with yours matched well
-- by whether his had rivers where yours had rivers, and so forth.  If so, and
if his map also included what was formerly terra incognita for you, or if
parts of your map were fuzzy and his corresponding parts were clear, you could
use another's map to expand yours.  In fact, we do this all the time.  It's
called "communication" and "education".  A good teacher always starts from
what is known to the student (the points of overlap of their maps) and then
adds to the student's map in a way the student can follow.  The student also
adds to his own map by observation.
-- 
"Absolute knowledge means never having to change your mind."

Sarge Gerbode
Institute for Research in Metapsychology
950 Guinda St.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
UUCP:  pyramid!thirdi!sarge