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3 Practical limits to modelling
Not all truth can be expressed in a form irrespective of context. The very identity of some things (e.g. society) are inextricably linked to context. Thus we will have to be satisfied that, for at least some truths, it will not be practical to try and express them in a very general context and hence acquire the `hardness' of more "analytic" truths (like "all bachelors are men"). It is true that we can laboriously express larger and larger meta-contexts encompassing sub-contexts, but this will involve the construction of more and more expressive languages*1 and require disproportionately more computational power - this will make this sort of endeavour impractical, beyond a certain level*2. Choosing an appropriately restricted context is one of the most powerful means at our disposal for coping with otherwise intractable situations.
Pragmatic Holism - Bruce Edmonds - 22 FEB 96
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