“The playful nip denotes the bite, but it does not denote what would be denoted by the bite.”

From Part 4, section 2: A Theory of Play and Fantasy
Steps to an Ecology of Mind (1972)

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Do you have more details about the quote "The playful nip denotes the bite, but it does not denote what would be denoted by the bite." by Gregory Bateson?
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Gregory Bateson 49
English anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, visual … 1904–1980

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