44:50 Defining Game: First, what is a definition? "A definition is a statement that identifies the nature of the units subsumed under a concept. It is often said that definitions state the meaning of words. This is true, but it is not exact. A word is merely a visual-auditory symbol used to represent a concept; a word has no meaning other than that of the concept it symbolizes, and the meaning of a concept consists of its units. It is not words, but concepts that man defines-by specifying their referents. The purpose of a definition is to distinguish a concept from all other concepts and thus to keep its units differentiated from all other existents. Since the definition of a concept is formulated in terms of other concepts, it enables man, not only to identify and retain a concept, but also to establish the relationships, the hierarchy, the integration of all his concepts and thus the integration of his knowledge. Definitions preserve, not the chronological order in which a given man may have learned concepts, but the logical order of their hierarchical interdependence. With certain significant exceptions, every concept can be defined and communicated in terms of other concepts. The exceptions are concepts referring to sensations, and metaphysical axioms... "The rules of correct definition are derived from the process of concept-formation. The units of a concept were differentiated-by means of a distinguishing characteristic(s)-from other existents possessing a commensurable characteristic, a Conceptual Common Denominator. A definition follows the same principle: it specifies the distinguishing characteristic(s) of the units, and indicates the category of existents from which they were differentiated. The distinguishing characteristic(s) of the units becomes the differentia of the concept’s definition; the existents possessing a Conceptual Common Denominator become the genus. Thus a definition complies with the two essential functions of consciousness: differentiation and integration. The differentia isolates the units of a concept from all other existents; the genus indicates their connection to a wider group of existents. For instance, in the definition of table (“An item of furniture, consisting of a flat, level surface and supports, intended to support other, smaller objects”), the specified shape is the differentia, which distinguishes tables from the other entities belonging to the same genus: furniture. In the definition of man (“A rational animal”), “rational” is the differentia, “animal” is the genus... "A definition must identify the nature of the units, i.e., the essential characteristics without which the units would not be the kind of existents they are." Ayn Rand, Definitions, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, 40-43 Game: : a (man-made) physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other. Essential genus: a man-made physical or mental activity. Essential differentia: competition What makes a soccer game and a trivia game both games? They are activities which involve competition, i.e., a game. Game is really really easy to define if you hold that man perceives entities and has the ability to abstract by means of measurement omission
41:30 There is no actual concept which is based only on a definition (except for magically words like God). Even and Odd numbers are perceptual. A even number of things is one in which you can divide the objects into groups and no loner is remaining, an odd number is when grouping leaves an odd man out. We made those words to talk about this thing we see.
42:00 The study actually only found that most people suck at math and picked the numbers they are more familiar will and less likely to be incorrect and to avoid looking silly they went with 4. Note that 2 wasn't even a option, yet it is the prototypical.
49:00 No, and neither has my dog. Even my dog knows that a big dog and a tiny dog are dogs from a mile away and without smelling. This theory is dead wrong, so no, I don't struggle with seeing some dogs as dogs because the concept of dog is not held by a prototype image.
Calling entities "basic" is silly. Perception perceives entities, and those entities are where we get abstractions which can be used to find genus and differentia. Philosophically this lecture is lacking
26:41 Oh god it only gets worse as it goes. The basic level is not "Abstract," they are the given, there are the objects that you see when you let your eyes move over the world. If Rosch thinks these are abstraction, what could she possible believe is the given?
29:40 Yep, it only gets worse. "A typical package-deal, used by professors of philosophy, runs as follows: to prove the assertion that there is no such thing as “necessity” in the universe, a professor declares that just as this country did not have to have fifty states, there could have been forty-eight or fifty-two-so the solar system did not have to have nine planets, there could have been seven or eleven. It is not sufficient, he declares, to prove that something is, one must also prove that it had to be-and since nothing had to be, nothing is certain and anything goes. The technique of undercutting man’s mind consists in palming off the man-made as if it were the metaphysically given, then ascribing to nature the concepts that refer only to men’s lack of knowledge, such as “chance” or “contingency,” then reversing the two elements of the package-deal. From the assertion: “Man is unpredictable, therefore nature is unpredictable,” the argument goes to: “Nature possesses volition, man does not-nature is free, man is ruled by unknowable forces-nature is not to be conquered, man is.”" “The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made,” Philosophy: Who Needs It, 28 "As far as metaphysical reality is concerned (omitting human actions from consideration, for the moment), there are no “facts which happen to be but could have been otherwise” as against “facts which must be.” There are only: facts which are. . . . Since things are what they are, since everything that exists possesses a specific identity, nothing in reality can occur causelessly or by chance. The nature of an entity determines what it can do and, in any given set of circumstances, dictates what it will do. The Law of Causality is entailed by the Law of Identity. Entities follow certain laws of action in consequence of their identity, and have no alternative to doing so. Metaphysically, all facts are inherent in the identities of the entities that exist; i.e., all facts are “necessary.” In this sense, to be is to be “necessary.” The concept of “necessity,” in a metaphysical context, is superfluous." Leonard Peikoff, “The Analytic-Synthetic Dichotomy,” Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, 108-109
44:50 Defining Game:
First, what is a definition?
"A definition is a statement that identifies the nature of the units subsumed under a concept.
It is often said that definitions state the meaning of words. This is true, but it is not exact. A word is merely a visual-auditory symbol used to represent a concept; a word has no meaning other than that of the concept it symbolizes, and the meaning of a concept consists of its units. It is not words, but concepts that man defines-by specifying their referents.
The purpose of a definition is to distinguish a concept from all other concepts and thus to keep its units differentiated from all other existents.
Since the definition of a concept is formulated in terms of other concepts, it enables man, not only to identify and retain a concept, but also to establish the relationships, the hierarchy, the integration of all his concepts and thus the integration of his knowledge. Definitions preserve, not the chronological order in which a given man may have learned concepts, but the logical order of their hierarchical interdependence.
With certain significant exceptions, every concept can be defined and communicated in terms of other concepts. The exceptions are concepts referring to sensations, and metaphysical axioms...
"The rules of correct definition are derived from the process of concept-formation. The units of a concept were differentiated-by means of a distinguishing characteristic(s)-from other existents possessing a commensurable characteristic, a Conceptual Common Denominator. A definition follows the same principle: it specifies the distinguishing characteristic(s) of the units, and indicates the category of existents from which they were differentiated.
The distinguishing characteristic(s) of the units becomes the differentia of the concept’s definition; the existents possessing a Conceptual Common Denominator become the genus.
Thus a definition complies with the two essential functions of consciousness: differentiation and integration. The differentia isolates the units of a concept from all other existents; the genus indicates their connection to a wider group of existents.
For instance, in the definition of table (“An item of furniture, consisting of a flat, level surface and supports, intended to support other, smaller objects”), the specified shape is the differentia, which distinguishes tables from the other entities belonging to the same genus: furniture. In the definition of man (“A rational animal”), “rational” is the differentia, “animal” is the genus...
"A definition must identify the nature of the units, i.e., the essential characteristics without which the units would not be the kind of existents they are."
Ayn Rand, Definitions, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, 40-43
Game: : a (man-made) physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other.
Essential genus: a man-made physical or mental activity.
Essential differentia: competition
What makes a soccer game and a trivia game both games?
They are activities which involve competition, i.e., a game.
Game is really really easy to define if you hold that man perceives entities and has the ability to abstract by means of measurement omission
41:30 There is no actual concept which is based only on a definition (except for magically words like God). Even and Odd numbers are perceptual. A even number of things is one in which you can divide the objects into groups and no loner is remaining, an odd number is when grouping leaves an odd man out. We made those words to talk about this thing we see.
42:00 The study actually only found that most people suck at math and picked the numbers they are more familiar will and less likely to be incorrect and to avoid looking silly they went with 4. Note that 2 wasn't even a option, yet it is the prototypical.
49:00 No, and neither has my dog. Even my dog knows that a big dog and a tiny dog are dogs from a mile away and without smelling.
This theory is dead wrong, so no, I don't struggle with seeing some dogs as dogs because the concept of dog is not held by a prototype image.
Calling entities "basic" is silly. Perception perceives entities, and those entities are where we get abstractions which can be used to find genus and differentia. Philosophically this lecture is lacking
26:41 Oh god it only gets worse as it goes. The basic level is not "Abstract," they are the given, there are the objects that you see when you let your eyes move over the world. If Rosch thinks these are abstraction, what could she possible believe is the given?
29:40 Yep, it only gets worse.
"A typical package-deal, used by professors of philosophy, runs as follows: to prove the assertion that there is no such thing as “necessity” in the universe, a professor declares that just as this country did not have to have fifty states, there could have been forty-eight or fifty-two-so the solar system did not have to have nine planets, there could have been seven or eleven. It is not sufficient, he declares, to prove that something is, one must also prove that it had to be-and since nothing had to be, nothing is certain and anything goes.
The technique of undercutting man’s mind consists in palming off the man-made as if it were the metaphysically given, then ascribing to nature the concepts that refer only to men’s lack of knowledge, such as “chance” or “contingency,” then reversing the two elements of the package-deal. From the assertion: “Man is unpredictable, therefore nature is unpredictable,” the argument goes to: “Nature possesses volition, man does not-nature is free, man is ruled by unknowable forces-nature is not to be conquered, man is.”"
“The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made,”
Philosophy: Who Needs It, 28
"As far as metaphysical reality is concerned (omitting human actions from consideration, for the moment), there are no “facts which happen to be but could have been otherwise” as against “facts which must be.” There are only: facts which are. . . . Since things are what they are, since everything that exists possesses a specific identity, nothing in reality can occur causelessly or by chance. The nature of an entity determines what it can do and, in any given set of circumstances, dictates what it will do. The Law of Causality is entailed by the Law of Identity. Entities follow certain laws of action in consequence of their identity, and have no alternative to doing so. Metaphysically, all facts are inherent in the identities of the entities that exist; i.e., all facts are “necessary.” In this sense, to be is to be “necessary.” The concept of “necessity,” in a metaphysical context, is superfluous."
Leonard Peikoff, “The Analytic-Synthetic Dichotomy,”
Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, 108-109
47:00 Absolutely ridiculous theories