From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!garrot.DMI.USherb.CA!uxa.ecn.bgu.edu!mp.cs.niu.edu!rickert Tue Apr  7 23:23:27 EDT 1992
Article 4843 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Language as Technology: A Phenomenological Study
Message-ID: <1992Mar31.155743.4516@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Date: 31 Mar 92 15:57:43 GMT
References: <2439@ucl-cs.uucp>
Organization: Northern Illinois University
Lines: 34

In article <2439@ucl-cs.uucp> G.Joly@cs.ucl.ac.uk (Gordon Joly) writes:
>Neil Rickert asserts:
>
>< >If I understand correct your definition of analog/digital language,
>< >I can assume that telepathy is for you an analog language.
>< >Why is this form of language dissantvantageus?
>< 
><   Since there is no evidence supporting the existence of telepathy, you
>< can call it digital or not as you see fit.  Such statements about something
>< non-existent are meaningless.
>
>You will never find "evidence" for some thing, such as telepathy or
>emotions, since they are not "physical" in all their aspects, and are
>therefore not amenable to the scientific process.

  There is plenty of evidence for emotions.  If you provided documented
evidence of repeatable tests which show reliable communication with
telepathy I will retract my statement.  You don't have to point to
electrons or photons or widgets to get evidence.

>BTW, do black holes exist? They are there in classical General
>Relativity theory. 

  I sure don't know whether black holes exist.  But I don't hear any physicists
or astronomers saying that they are not amenable to the scientific process.
Still, I agree that it would at present be meaningless to discuss why (or
whether) black holes are disadvantageous.


-- 
=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
  Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science               <rickert@cs.niu.edu>
  Northern Illinois Univ.
  DeKalb, IL 60115                                   +1-815-753-6940


