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Tim Gwinn wrote: I think the
reviewer gets it right when he says ?Laughlin's thesis is intriguing, if not completely
persuasive.? I didn?t find it persuasive. There is alot
of hand-waving and not alot of convincing arguments. This is one of those
attempts to talk about systems and properties of systems that are beyond the
reductionist paradigm, but talks about them from the perspective of a
reductionist paradigm.
Hmmm, I'm wondering if the reason stems from a failure to ask
the question; "Why are some systems more than the sum of their
parts?" That's the first question that comes to my mind-- I mean, if some
systems actually seem to be roughly the sum of their parts, but others clearly
are not... how can the extra "stuff" be accounted for? And... if that extra
stuff is what differentiates living organisms from whatever is not alive, what
causes that extra stuff? What is it? How is it different from the parts? And...
ultimately: Why does the extra stuff have that effect on a
system?
The only way to adhere to the current mechanistic paradigm (the
Cartesian "All systems are like machines" thing) would be to not ask the kinds
of questions raised, above. But how can a scientist who has already concluded
that some systems are more than the sum of their parts avoid asking those
questions?????
Judith
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 3:38
PM
Subject: Re: [ROSEN] Who is Robert
Laughlin?
Judith,
I?ve perused this book at
the bookstore when it came out, but never found it worth buying. I think the
reviewer gets it right when he says ?Laughlin's thesis is intriguing, if not completely
persuasive.? I didn?t find it persuasive. There is
alot of hand-waving and not alot of convincing arguments. This is one of those
attempts to talk about systems and properties of systems that are beyond the
reductionist paradigm, but talks about them from the perspective of a
reductionist paradigm. So the language and arguments is accordingly vague and
like grasping at straws.
That?s my 2 cents,
anyway.
Regards,
Tim
From: ROSEN
Forum [mailto:*** On
Behalf Of Judith Rosen
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 8:02
AM
To:
***
Subject: Who is Robert
Laughlin?
Someone sent me a copy of this article, which I found
interesting enough to share with the list. Has anyone here heard of Robert
Laughlin? I hadn't. But he sounds like the next generation after Robert Rosen,
to me. I'd be interested in your comments and
perceptions.
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