Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!think!ames!killer!tness7!ninja!sys1!hal6000!trsvax!bryan
From: bryan@trsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Acting irrationally (was Re: Fr
Message-ID: <193600001@trsvax>
Date: 20 May 88 16:48:00 GMT
References: <180@proxftl.UUCP>
Lines: 34
Nf-ID: #R:proxftl.UUCP:180:trsvax:193600001:000:1417
Nf-From: trsvax.UUCP!bryan    May 20 11:48:00 1988


/* ---------- "Re: Acting irrationally (was Re: Fr" ---------- */

In article <5499@venera.isi.edu>, smoliar@vaxa.isi.edu (Stephen Smoliar) writes:
>> I think you are overlooking how great an extent we rely on implict
>> assumptions in any intercourse.  If we had to articulate everything
>> explicitly, we would probably never get around to discussing what we
>> really wanted to discuss.

/* Written  9:44 am  May 17, 1988 by proxftl.UUCP!tomh (Tom Holroyd)

> Here's a simple rule: explicitly articulate everything, at least once.
                                              ^^^^^^^^^^!!

That's the rub, "everything" includes every association you've ever had with
hearing or using every word, including all the events you've forgotten about
but which influence the "meaning" any particular word has for you, especially
the early ones while you were acquiring a vocabulary.

You seem to have some rather naive ideals about the meanings of words.

> A truly reasoning being doesn't hesitate to ask, either, if something
> hasn't been explicitly articulated, and it is necessary for continuing
> discussion.

A truly reasoning being often thinks that things WERE explicitly articulated
to a sufficient degree, given that both parties are using the same language.  

------------------

Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.
						- Nietzsche

...ihnp4!convex!ctvax!trsvax!bryan	(Bryan Helm)