[betty boop]

...one cannot presume that conclusions drawn from an intentionally narrowed field of view reflect truths about the system, because they never ask nor answer what the system "is".

This is a point that's easy to miss. Somehow.

This sort of thing reminds me of a bloodhound, nose to the trail, sniffing out his prey, following the spoor.... Everything else around the dog is screened out from the dog's consciousness. But that doesn't mean that only the prey and the spoor exist.

Thanks so much for your excellent essay/post, Alamo-Girl!

[hosepipe]

[ This sort of thing reminds me of a bloodhound, nose to the trail, sniffing out his prey, following the spoor.... Everything else around the dog is screened out from the dog's consciousness. But that doesn't mean that only the prey and the spoor exist. ]

Killer example.. just beautiful...

[js1138]

But that doesn't mean that only the prey and the spoor exist.

Nor does it mean that only the correct answer exists in mathematics. I understand your analogy is quite popular in modern classrooms. The idea that one could set a goal and a procedure for achieving it is so stifling.

[Alamo-Girl]

This sort of thing reminds me of a bloodhound, nose to the trail, sniffing out his prey, following the spoor.... Everything else around the dog is screened out from the dog's consciousness. But that doesn't mean that only the prey and the spoor exist.

What an excellent metaphor! Thank you so much for post and for your encouragements!