[Inquiry] Re: Purpose Of Scientific Inquiry -- Discussion

[Jon Awbrey]

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

POSI.  Discussion Note 5

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

JW = John Warfield

Re: POSI-DIS 1.  http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/2005-November/003232.html
In: POSI-DIS.    http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/2005-November/thread.html#3232

JW: It was Willard Gibbs' view that the purpose to be attached to scientific inquiry
    was to find that point of view from which the subject could be understood in its
    greatest simplicity.  That is not of course the same as "simplistic".  But the
    way I interpret this is that when someone starts to construct models of some
    piece of the world or of the world itself, it is a good thing right away to
    begin to imagine as many isomorphs of whatever seems to be a way of modeling
    as possible with a constant eye out as to what particular isomorph might serve
    whatever sub-purpose and, in particular, the presentation of the subject in its
    greatest simplicity.  It's my view that one may interpret the latter always as
    lying outside the scope of the generating discipline because ultimately the
    merit of whatever is discovered ought to be in terms of its utility for
    humanity in general and not for a self-sealing discipline.

JW: I realize that this is a sort of a selfish point of view.

John, Cybernetics List,

I find much to agree with in this, and will leave the more
devilish and/or divine details to a less tryptophantic day,
but one of the questions that comes to mind right off is:
What sort of intellectual framework and software tools
can be designed to facilitate this sifting of POV's
and comparison of alternative representations?

Jon Awbrey

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
inquiry e-lab: http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o