Re: Dialogue, please!
Boris G Freesman, Q.C. (freesman@INFORAMP.NET)
Thu, 2 May 1996 14:51:24 -0400
>From: "Hans-Cees Speel" <HANSS@sepa.tudelft.nl>
>To: "Boris G Freesman, Q.C." <freesman@inforamp.net>
>Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 19:05:08 MET
>Subject: Re: Dialogue, please!
>Reply-to: hanss@sepa.tudelft.nl
>Return-receipt-to: hanss@sepa.tudelft.nl
>Priority: normal
>
>I adress you directly, bacause my link with the pcp list does not
>work at this moment. If you could forward it, that would be nice.
>
>> I address this to all of you, and to Bruce Edmonds
>
>It is not Bruce that is talking, but me, being forwarded by the
>computer of Bruce.
>
>> I sense that path dependency, lock-in and hierarchies are somehow
>> inter-related topics.
>>
>
>I do not think that hierarchy has much to do with path-dependency. If
>you disagree, tell me what you think it has to do with it.
>
>
>> I am a simple lawyer. I would love to be able to read and understand what
>> you write: please write in simple English. You can't assume that this
>> conference is restricted to academics familiar with exact terminology or
>> people who are fluent in English. This forum must be fully interdisciplinary
>> if it is to be useful.
>
>As you can see by our dialoque, we have a hard time understanding
>each other to It is very difficult to talk to each other, and we have
>the same problems as you do, not in the least because we talk with so
>different words, and often have different examples in mind.
>If you want to underswtand you must ask exactly what you don't
>understand, that is easier to respond to.
>
>I agree with Don about what path-dependency means, but have different
>examples in mind. Generally a system is path dependent if its state
>at one moment, and I mean by state for instance its genetic make-up,
>constraints the possible states in the future. Law is a great
>example. Because there are laws telling you what you cannot do, you
>are constrained in your actions. You cannot steal [provided you are
>always caught, and find this reason enough not to], because of laws.
>Now if you want to change that law, you must pass a chage through the
>senate, or whatever system is used in your partuicular country to
>make new laws. So the system of rules which is used to change laws
>constrains the possibilities of new laws that you can pass. The
>actors in the senate will not pass all laws, and have the power to
>stopp new laws they don't like. So their judgement constraints the
>possible new laws that can be made.
>The system at this moment that you must use to make new laws makes
>the change in laws path-dependent, since its particular 'state' today
>constrains possibilities for tomorrow. Thus a path-dependent system
>is inert to a certain degree to change. The exact way in which it is
>inert will stop particular changes. It is locked-in in a
>particular path. If the rules for changing laws were different, or
>the beliefs of what it good and bad of the members of the senate were
>different, we would be locked-in in another 'path'
>
>Lock-in is a word that expresses that the path we are in today, is
>only one of the possibilities of constraints that would be possible
>in theory.
>
>Hope this helps,
>
>Hans-Cees Speel
>
>Theories come and go, the frog stays [F. Jacob]
>-------------------------------------------------------
>|Hans-Cees Speel School of Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and
management
>|Technical University Delft, Jaffalaan 5 2600 GA Delft PO Box 5015 The
Netherlands
>|telephone +3115785776 telefax +3115783422 E-mail hanss@sepa.tudelft.nl
>HTTP://www.sepa.tudelft.nl/~afd_ba/hanss.html featuring evolution and memetics!
>
>
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Boris G Freesman, Q.C.
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"Collaborating in the task of reshaping the future of humanity."
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"Caminante, no hay camino; se hace camino al andar." (Antonio Machado)
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Phone, (905) 886 5005; Fax, (905) 886 5006
e mail, freesman@inforamp.net
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