Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news4.ner.bbnplanet.net!news3.near.net!paperboy.wellfleet.com!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!jqb
From: jqb@netcom.com (Jim Balter)
Subject: Re: David Longley, The Baby, and the Bathwater
Message-ID: <jqbDBG154.Cwr@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <95Jul4.015004edt.6061@neat.cs.toronto.edu> <95Jul5.174434edt.6213@neat.cs.toronto.edu> <804987627snz@longley.demon.co.uk> <95Jul8.204854edt.6047@neat.cs.toronto.edu>
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 1995 10:00:40 GMT
Lines: 61
Sender: jqb@netcom7.netcom.com

In article <95Jul8.204854edt.6047@neat.cs.toronto.edu>,
Calvin Bruce Ostrum <cbo@cs.toronto.edu> wrote:
>Arguing that people can't *reason*, or can't be characterised in
>intentional terms, just because they make errors regularly under
>a wide range of situations, is exactly like arguing like people 
>can't *see* because they are subject to optical illusions under
>a wide range of situations.
>
>	 \                             /
>          \                           /
>           \                         /
>            -------------------------
>           /                         \
>          /                           \
>         /                             \
>
>
>              /                  \
>             /                    \
>            /                      \
>            ------------------------
>            \                      /
>             \                    /
>              \                  /
>
>
>Ooops, people perceive the first line as longer than the second!
>But they are the same length.  Better throw out the concept of
>"length", or "perception", or maybe even both.

But, er, um, the first line *is* longer than the second.  Let's try this:

	 \                             /
          \                           /
           \                         /
            -------------------------
           /                         \
          /                           \
         /                             \


              /                   \
             /                     \
            /                       \
            -------------------------
            \                       /
             \                     /
              \                   /


Ok, *now* they are the same size, and the illusion is still hard to avoid.


I might claim that it is a mistake for David Longley to post to c.a.p.
I'd be interested in his *purely extensional* justification for
doing so.


-- 
<J Q B>

