I think the most valid example of Matthew's observation occured in Athens
several thousand years ago:
Aristotle's Local Debating Club was presenting arguments for "How Many Teeth
Does a Horse Have?" After several hours of heated debate, observing "Perfect
Logic" as the Greeks understood it, one rashly impatient young man said, "Well,
why don't we just go out, find a horse, and count his teeth?"
He was thrown out of the Club, of course. :-)
Best regards--LRA
_____
On Fri, 08 Jun 2001 23:44:30
S. Matthew Prastein wrote:
>The "post-modernist" and "critical anlysis" folk argue that there is no
>"valid" reasoning, only argument driven by political or economic
>self-interest-interest.
>
>Any competent lawyer can present an arguably plausible chain of reasoning
>in support of any position, however ridiculous. The more ridiculous
>positions merely require more convoluted chains of reasoning,
>
>We need to vigorously wield Occam's razor whenever we are in the presence
>of journalists, politicians, sociologists, diplomats, . . . .
>
>This is clearly OT, but I couldn't help myself.
>
>
>On Fri, 08 Jun 2001 18:24:11 +0100, you wrote:
>
>>In <5.1.0.14.2.20010607100712.0263cb90@mail.polobeam.net>, Marvin Demuth
>>wrote:
>>
>>> While waiting for my RA4 chemicals to come up to 35 degrees C, I had time
>>> to look up Ockham on the web. You live in an interesting area.
>>>
>>> I also had time to refresh my memory of my first introduction to Occam's
>>> Razor." John Bogel, the founder of the fabulous Vanguard Mutual Funds
>>> Group, devotes a chapter in his most recent book (Common Sense on Mutual
>>> Funds) to its application to returns on investments. He paraphrases Sir
>>> William's insight with the phrase "that the simpler the explanation, the
>>> more likely it is to be correct."
>>>
>>> We all have so much to learn in mastering our skills in analysis and
>>> communication.
>>>
>>I liked the remark I saw some years ago in a article about UFO freaks,
>>conspiracy theorists, etc., that "they would use Occam's razor to cut your
>>throat"! ;-)
>>
>>Brian Rumary, England
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>Love,
>Dad and Mom
>
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