Re: parts

Cliff Joslyn (joslyn@KONG.GSFC.NASA.GOV)
Mon, 11 Sep 1995 11:05:02 -0500


>Cliff writes:
>>...The identification of entities
>>(parts, wholes) is logically prior to establishing the roles that entities
>>play in systems which are composed from them...
>
>If the system were NOT a self-producing system (and not even
>self-organizing), then I believe the above statement would be
>true.

OK, I'm open to the idea that you could identify roles (functional modes)
prior to identifying parts which manifest them. But perhaps we're wandering
from the point.

I believe that it was you who began with this parts-talk, trying to
identify whether parts could be removed, etc. So you began assuming that
parts were clearly identified prior to an analysis of what their properties
were. This is what I was trying to challenge, that the identity of parts
was always unambiguous and objective. From your comments, I believe that
you would agree with this.

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