[MD] Science and Scientism

[Ian Glendinning]

Hi John,

I was actually saying something stronger than the "beginners mind"
aspects which is uncluttered by as yet unknown details. An experienced
mind can be more sophisticated by simply recognizing details that are
not relevant to, without worrying about arguments why or wherefore :

The George Dyson quote was :
"We used to be kayak builders, collecting all available fragments of
information to assemble the framework that kept us afloat. Now, we
have to learn to become dugout-canoe builders, discarding unneccessary
information to reveal the shape of knowledge hidden within.
I was a hardened kayak builder, trained to collect every available
stick. I resent having to learn the new skills. But those who don’t
will be left paddling logs, not canoes."

In summary "discarding unneccessary information to reveal the shape of
knowledge hidden within"
Regards
Ian



On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 8:25 PM, John Carl <ridgecoyote at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ian,
>
> "If the devil is in the details, avoid the details."
>
> I love it.  I shall be repeating it.
>
> I agree, ignorance is valuable.  You can't have "beginner's mind" without
>  ignorance.
>
> I wouldn't want to base  my metaphysics on it, but it's a great tool with
> many useful functions .
> Satisfied,
>
> John
>
>
> More contentious: Ignorance is valuable too.
>> We have to be selective about which details take up our attention.
>> It's my "life's too short" defence, otherwise we'd all be "paddling
>> logs" - to quote Dyson. If the devil is in the details, avoid the
>> details I say ;-) If they matter, they'll bite us in the bum sooner or
>> later, for example if we think we have a scientific hypothesis worth
>> testing - but until then live dangerously (To mis-quote Horse / and
>> Hunter S Thomson).
>>
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