Lord Kelvin's words translated back into English:
"Say often that when you can measure what is spoken and expressed in
numbers, we know something about it, but our knowledge is weak and
unsatisfactory, while we can not express it in numbers, we can be the
beginning of the knowledge, but our concepts will be advanced only in
the way of the 'science', and that whatever the subject matter."
So much for Google translator!
But it may have helped me understand you, Fernando, a bit better.
Joel W.
On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 8:57 AM, Fernando Gonzalez
Gentile<fgnzalez@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Interesting.
>
> I cannot feel the same (as far as I can understand) you do, Moose -
> Regardless who is speaking, I (since some-time before this very moment)
> tend to ignore the attribution of knowledge.
> I'm tempted to self-explain why this is so for me. I know why, but never
> wrote it down systematically. I could, but it would be valid for me
> only. I'm not planning to write an autobiography, not yet ;-)
> Just an example: a few minutes ago I read a sentence attributed to lord
> Kelvin, written in Spanish (I will not translate it to English, that
> would add more 'noise'): "Suelo decir, con frecuencia, que cuando se
> puede medir aquello de que se habla y expresarlo en números, se sabe
> algo sobre ello; pero nuestro saber es deficiente e insatisfactorio,
> mientras no somos capaces de expresarlo en números; podemos estar en el
> comienzo del conocimiento, pero nuestros conceptos apenas habrán habrán
> avanzado en el camino de la 'ciencia', y esto cualquiera sea la materia
> de que se trate".
> I can clearly hear the value this statement has for lord Kelvin.
> Then, it might be my own problem to asses how much value it has for me.
> This puts lord Kelvin in a place of 'subject of supposed knowledge'. I
> will explore his sentence, mostly in an unconscious way, and may be
> somehow convinced and somehow not. And I will take care not to argue
> lord Kelvin 'ad hominem'.
>
> Wow, I've written too much English today ;-)
>
> Fernando.
>
> Moose wrote:
>> Another in an occasional series of objections to the attribution of
>> knowledge, experience and opinions of another onto me.
>>
>>
>> But put in the way you so often do, as some
>> universal experience, when so clearly some of it isn't, and you just
>> piss me off, so I can't hear the value in what you say.
>>
>
>
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