[MD] Contradiction and incoherence.

[MarshaV]

"Less useful" is relative, my dear, Watson, relative. :-). 



On Mar 24, 2012, at 4:34 PM, John Carl <ridgecoyote at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Marsha,
> 
> First off,
> 
> "Less useful" is not synonymous with "useless".  I agree completely, of
> course.  But my point remains.  While "less useful" is not the same as
> useless, it sure is antonymous with "more useful" and that is my claim.
> That it is precisely linguistic conceptualization's tendency to overgrow
> it's boundaries (or to jump a level!) that makes it so precious, so
> important and makes humans so much more than mere machines.
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 3:43 PM, MarshaV <valkyr at att.net> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> Hi John,
>> 
>> Not sure what your problem might be, and not sure that I have any dominion
>> over what you find problematic.  I'm pretty much at ease with
>> indeterminate, and depend on the provisional (static) like most everybody
>> else.
>> 
>> 
> Dominion?    Like I could be dominated, Hah!  Or you for that matter.  We
> share that much in common at least.  What resonates with me is the Ellul
> quote I provided some long time ago in the past, that it is precisely
> language's ambiguities and misunderstandings which make it MORE useful
> rather than less, cojoined with C.S. Peirce's idea of language as a sign,
> and not a discrete "thing".  That's the baggage I carry which makes
> Pirsig's scientific bent, as revealed in the quote, problematic for me.
> 
> Take care,
> 
> Me.
>