|
ergo123
BANNED
USA
810 Posts |
 Posted - 11/18/2006 : 03:09:06 [Permalink]
|
quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
quote:
Originally posted by ergo123
The fact that the veracity of the NIST Report gets tagged is the proof that it makes a difference, davie--even if the tags are the same if the report is true vs. if it is false. You are confusing the meanings of the word difference here (or worse).
No, you're just using a meaning of "makes a difference" which isn't the common one.
You agreed to it meaning "not neutral." Neutral means neither positive nor negative; favoring no side. If you bothered to read my references--which I provided at your request, BTW--you would know that the tags are either positive or negative. Thus, the tags are not neutral--they represent one's point-of-view which while frequently mixed, is never neutral.
quote:
The point, davie, is that everything we become aware of 'makes a difference' to us--we are not neutral about anything.
quote:
Well, the only thing I'm "aware" about the NIST report is that it's not 100% accurate.
And that makes a difference to you, davie. That is, your evaluation of that information is not neutral.
quote:
You sure didn't prove that it "is impossible" like you set out to do.
Yes I did--you just refused to believe it. But your lack of following the evidence to its logical conclusion does not render the report "possible."
quote:
We might see pluses and minuses for a given concept or physical thing, but Balancing valences do not = neutral. It just means we have mixed feelings about it. Such mixed emotions might render you unable to chose a decision path, but it won't be because you are neutral.
quote:
There is no "decision path" here, as I am simply asking, "how might I behave differently if the NIST report were proven false as compared to how I might behave if the NIST report were shown to be extremely accurate?" Those aren't choices I need to make, but predictions about my own reactions. And I see no difference in the consequences for me, either way.
That might be true--but that doesn't mean the veracity of the report makes no difference to you. That just means your behavior does not hinge on your evaluation of the information.
quote:
This isn't a situation in which I'm fraught with indecision, like whether I want pasta or a sandwich for dinner. It's a scenario in which I'm asked to weigh my preference for one possible outcome over another, such as if my wife asks, "should I paint my studio yellow or mauve?" Since I don't go into that room very much, and the two color choices offered are about equally offensive to my tastes, "it makes no difference to me" is the correct answer. I don't care.
But now you are comparing two things, davie. That's what you call "moving the goal posts," right? Each color "makes a difference to you,"--i.e., you are not neutral to either color (by your own words). That you claim the difference each of the 2 colors makes to you is the same is of completely unrelated to this discussion. Please, davie, STAY ON TOPIC.
quote:
So your version of "makes a difference," which relies on me having to make some sort of decision, clearly does not apply.
The meaning we both agreed to does not rely on making a decision. The tags are applied to the information in case it can later be used in the decision-making process.
|
No witty quotes. I think for myself. |
 |
|
Topic Locked
