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Re: [ontolog-forum] Laws: physical and social

To: ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: John F Sowa <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:54:33 -0400
Message-id: <51AE5409.5020700@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Doug,    (01)

Our responses to Ed's note crossed in the mail.  They are
very compatible, but I'd like to add a few points:    (02)

> Even social laws are often contextual even within the appropriate
> jurisdiction and applicable time frame.  Breaking & entering laws
> stretch if someone breaks into a burning building to save a person
> inside.    (03)

The laws, as drafted, are written for the expected or typical cases.
But they run into all the complexities of *both* nature and society.    (04)

> Ed says that different types of "laws" should be distinguished.
> I agree because they have different properties.  John was
> emphasizing some commonalities, but i would not be surprised
> if he also found it useful to distinguish the subclasses.    (05)

Peirce said that there is a continuum for both kinds of laws.    (06)

The ultimate (still unknown) laws of nature may be absolutely true,
but any laws that science discovers have only been tested on some
small, finite range of conditions.    (07)

Therefore, both the laws of human science and the laws of human
social institutions have a narrow range of definiteness and
a large area of vagueness, uncertainty, and multiple exceptions.    (08)

John    (09)

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