Re: Etymology

["Tim Gwinn" <***>]

I have often wondered why Robert Rosen chose the terms "complex" and
"complicated" as labels, when they were already in common (over)usage.
Perhaps the etymological roots of these words also indicate why he chose
these particular ones.

My OED and other dictionaries are packed away in boxes at the moment, but a
usable online reference is at yahoo.com.

"Complicate" comes from the Latin: 'complicare' meaning "to fold together".
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entries/11/c0531100.html

"Complex" also derives from Latin, in this case: 'complecti' meaning "to
entwine".
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entries/98/c0529800.html

(Interestingly, they both have origins in the Greek root 'plek-')
http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE414.html

In simple systems, the causal categories are always kept distinct within a
system. Adding on to such a system will pile on more and more entailments,
but they will be such that the entailments structures always maintain
distinct causal categories. So, as pieces are added (or summed)  the phrase
"folding together" seems befitting.

By contrast, in a complex system, the causal categories are necessarily
entwined, so therefore it is natural that the word 'complex' is used to
label such systems.

Regards,
Tim


> -----Original Message-----
> From: ROSEN Forum [mailto:*** Behalf Of Judith
> Rosen
> Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2003 11:09 AM
> To: ***
> Subject: Epistemology and Ontology
>

-snip-
>
>  My father's usage most likely has to do with the Greek origins of the
> words. He was very knowledgeable of the roots of language and his
> vocabulary
> was formidable.
-snip-