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To: Alamo-Girl
A person cannot say something is random in the system when he doesn't know what the system "is."

As we never will know any system in full, the best approach for most practical reasons is to assume randomness - and let the philosophers quibble about the difference between randomness and unpredictability....

50 posted on 03/15/2008 10:54:38 AM PDT by bezelbub
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To: bezelbub; betty boop; hosepipe
Thank you for sharing your views!

However, the term "random" is rooted in mathematics. The issue is not a "quibble" of philosophy, it is a matter of "proof" and accuracy in speaking.

If one pointed to a rectangle with four right angels and parallel, equal sides and declared it a "trapezoid" we'd say "Not so fast, it is a square, a trapezoid has only two sides parallel and it does not have four right angles."

Likewise, if one points to a thing and says to me it is "random" I'll reply "If you have established a uniform distribution, then perhaps so, but only to the extent of your measurement - because you cannot say something is random in the system unless you know what the system 'is.'"

52 posted on 03/15/2008 11:19:00 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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