![[F]](14165_files/site.gif) New York Times on the Web Forums
 Science
Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a
nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a
"Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed
considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense
initiatives more successful? Can such an application of
science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable,
necessary or impossible?
Read Debates, a new
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  (14164 previous messages)
rshow55
- 02:39pm Sep 30, 2003 EST (#
14165 of 14171)
Can we do a better job of finding
truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have
done and worked for on this thread.
4166 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.nbKWbouqJTY.2810497@.f28e622/5257
reads in part:
For 2500 years, up to the present day, many millions of
educated people, consistently over many generations, have felt
that the idea of the syllogism has been a profound, welcome
clarifying discipline for thinking. So far as my knowledge
goes, few doubt or discount the importance of the syllogism.
Here's a statistical statement:
1. People are probably mortal.
2. Socrates is a person.
3. Therefore, Socrates is probably mortal.
Shift to a probability of 1, and you get the classic
syllogism form:
1A. All people are mortal.
2A. Socrates is a person.
3A. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
The connection between statistics and logic happens here.
At this level, logic can emerge as a simple special case of
statistics.
In other cases, of course, logic stands alone.
- -
And real people switch back and forth between logic
and statistics - in ways that I believe need to be better
understood when people are in intractable disagreements.
Most of the time - people work these things out well. But
when fights are a risk - some clarifications are important.
And when "little fights" are necessary, but must be
stable in order for enough to communication to occur -
these points seem essential to me.
I'll go back to work. Will try to have something you find
clear and right ( whether or not you find it important) when I
come back.
jorian319
- 03:06pm Sep 30, 2003 EST (#
14166 of 14171)
The dogmatism is all on the side
that maintains there is no global climate effect ...Anyone who
has visited a city like LA on a nice smog filled day knows
that's not true. -amzingdrx
Nothing is better than heaven
A peanut butter sandwich is better than nothing
A peanut butter sandwich is better than heaven
cantabb
- 03:26pm Sep 30, 2003 EST (#
14167 of 14171)
rshow55 - 02:34pm Sep 30, 2003 EST (# 14164 of
14165)
I'm working hard now to illustrate parts of
those techniques at the interface between statistics and
logic in detail - to post in a short form here - and a
longer form on the Guardian - for your reference.
ANYTHING to do with MD ?
Another set of 10 self-referencing links to matters
NOT directly related to MD is NOT what is needed here.
I appreciate your reformatted comment just
above - it is in a form better fitted for a "little fight"
that can converge.
That and most of other comments have been to help you
focus on MD and to get at anything that you had NOT
said yet on it -- and, certainly NOT to get
(repeatedly) everything that you said on matters UN-related to
MD anywehere else for the past 2-3 years !
I'm not being totally original, by any means
That has been quite apparent...
- but I do think that some useful
clarification is happening - that can be worthwhile.
May be "clarification" for you, but "worthwhile" or
not depends on what "clarification" you have developed for
yourself !
"Landauer and Dumais draw this basic
conclusion:
Nothing directly related to MD, is it ?
Working out in more detail, step by step -
how that happens - and how we get far beyond it - is
essential - I think - in a number of areas. It is also dead
center on a job I promised Casey I'd do.
Forget what you promised Casey, Eisenhower or anyone else ?
We don't know what you did [or did not] even if you did !
Totally irrelevant.
Adds NO weight to your argument, which has to stand on its
own -- without crutches.
I'm working, sorry if I can't move as
quickly as we'd both like. I hope you'll find my efforts
clear - even if you find them trivial. If they are merely
interesting enough to teach in elementary school, I'd be
more than satisfied.
Again, anything to do with MD ??? More of the same
off-topic, unrelated personal stuff -- NOT needed.
lchic
- 03:28pm Sep 30, 2003 EST (#
14168 of 14171)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed
~~~~
The malady of allergy puts peanuts to the test
Allergic to the peanut? In Heaven take a rest
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