RE: virus: Sign memes & Chomsky

Robin Faichney (r.j.faichney@stir.ac.uk)
Tue, 8 Apr 1997 14:46:00 +0100


Tony Hindle wrote:
> Was I the only one watching?

Nope I saw it. I generally go along with what you say except:

> This is food for thought. Suppose that thinkers go through life
>learning a new "pidgeon language" in which to communicate the cutting
>edge concepts of scientific research (as CotV is doing imho). Then as we
>pass them on to the next generation of thinkers they filter it all
>through the LAD (some higher order grammar being added). The new
>grammatically correct conceptualisations allow clearer communication so
>that the next generation of scientific questions can be asked, answers
>gleaned and pidgeon language learned. Comments?

The LAD only operates upto the mid-teens, so your "next
generation of thinkers" is going to have be pretty young!

Also, I think there's probably a disjunction between grammar
and science, despite what Roger Scruton (self-confessed
reactionary) said on BBC Radio 4 recently about language
"being" logic. (Or else the "being" meme must have suddenly
evolved while I wasn't looking.)

--
Robin Faichney
r.j.faichney@stirling.ac.uk
http://www.stir.ac.uk/envsci/staff/rjf1/