Re: [ontolog-forum] A minor point I noticed

[William Frank <williamf.frank@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 2:18 PM, Ronald Stamper <stamper.measur@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Thank you someone for the pointer to Datomics where I found this:  “Datomic info model: a set of facts … things that have happened  . . .  while the past may be forgotten, it is immutable.”

Not so.  Along with directives, assertions etc, we also have, among our speech acts, palinodes to annul or retract propositions used to understand the world we share.  The trodden foot may be expunged effectively from memory by a sincere apology; a court of appeal may quash a conviction etc. In the social world we continually make mistakes and not infrequently act on them irreversibly.  We must take care not to base our information systems, most of which have social implications, on idealised physical theories. 

Thanks, Ron,

I'll have to remember this   All I have to do is sincerely apologize for something and that means I did not do it.   Germany's apology for the Holocaust, President Clinton's apology for slavery.    Better change the history books.  I thought it was the other way around, as Datomic says.  The past MAY be forgotten. As when I have apologized, and the polite foot trodden one says 'forget it. I already have.'

But of course, we must take care not to mix up basic facts with their changing social significance.

Wm

_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
Config Subscr: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
To join: http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?WikiHomePage#nid1J
 

-- 
William Frank

413/376-8167


This email is confidential and proprietary, intended for its addressees only.
It may not be distributed to non-addressees, nor its contents divulged,
without the permission of the sender.
_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/  
Config Subscr: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/  
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/ 
To join: http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?WikiHomePage#nid1J    (01)