Re: 'No ads' policy at rasfc

Jonathan L Cunningham <spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Tina Hall <Tina_Hall@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jonathan L Cunningham <spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Here's an analogy: water is wet, not because it is H2O but because
it is water. IOW, if H2O were not a wet liquid, it wouldn't be
water, it would be something else.

Ice? <g>

I forgot about ice (and steam) until after I'd posted. But, yes, ice
isn't water.

If you define water as liquid with no other possible state. But I didn't
want to argue, I just wanted to say I agree! :)

I know what you mean, but for me, that analogy would only confuse
matters, if I didn't already understand what you're saying.

Interesting. I think, from some other things you have said, that I
can almost see why you would find it confusing. (Something to do with
it being the wrong picture?) But I'm not sure.

Yeah.

Numbers, for me, are all on a kind of line. Default is that to the right
they go into infinity, to the left is a 0 with it going in that
direction into infinity. My viewpoint shifts with the size of the
numbers, though. 123 would be looking 'back down', or, if in relation to
other numbers, looking from the side again, with 257, or 326 (whatever)
being sort of behind it, or 1nnn and 2nnn parallel to each other if
that's the place I'm at with the numbers.

Objects have no tie to that image. If I think about buying 24 tins of
catfood, it's either 24, at best in relation to how long that'll last,
or I just picture them fitting nicely into my rucksack without count.

So, comparing numbers, in their own dimension, with objects from real
life, throws me off. Water simply has nothing in common with a 2. You
can't even count water! :)

Other images that don't slot nicely into place at once throw me off in a
similar way.

Described in words, the difference is between "defining properties"
and incidental, or accidental, properties. One of the defining
properties of water is that it is wet.

I don't think of numbers as having properties. That, I think, is the
problem.

In a story world with four elements, earth, air, fire and water,
water is still wet, and runny, and whatever else you think is
important[*] about water. But it is not H2O.

:) True.

My Water tribe people can only become part of the water when it's
liquid.

On the other hand, in the ME the state is important, any liquid
interferes with magic, even molten rocks.

Jonathan
* "whatever else you think is important" is what "defining
properties" means.

Yeah.

--
Tina
WIP: Working title: The Knight's Journey 16197 words
WISuspension: Seasons & Elements trilogy | Magic Earth series
Posted to Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.sf.composition.

.

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