C. West Churchman (1913–2004) American philosopher and systems scientist
Source: 1960s - 1970s, The Design of Inquiring Systems (1971), p. 10; cited in Daniel J. Power (2004) Decision Support Systems: Frequently Asked Questions, p. 23
Source: Conceptual Structures, 1984, p. 76 as cited in: Jacques Demongeot (1988) Artificial intelligence and cognitive sciences. p. 179
C. West Churchman (1913–2004) American philosopher and systems scientist
Source: 1960s - 1970s, The Design of Inquiring Systems (1971), p. 10; cited in Daniel J. Power (2004) Decision Support Systems: Frequently Asked Questions, p. 23
Brian Mistler American Gestalt therapist
George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden Are Dancing Together (2003)
“Your concept is a tremendous network of inconsistencies.”
James Blish book A Case of Conscience
“In what way?” the countess said, not very much interested.
“It seems to be based on reverence for the young, and an extremely patient and protective attitude toward their physical and mental welfare. Yet you make them live in these huge caves, utterly out of contact with the natural world, and you teach them to be afraid of death—which of course makes them a little insane, because there is nothing anybody can do about death. It is like teaching them to be afraid of the second law of thermodynamics, just because living matter sets that law aside for a very brief period.
Source: A Case of Conscience (1958), Chapter 12 (pp. 149-150)
“The percept takes priority of the concept.”
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar-- a professor of English literature, a literary critic, and a …
Letter to Edward T. Hall, 1971, Letters of Marshall McLuhan, p. 397
1970s
“The new science of communication is percept, not concept.”
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar-- a professor of English literature, a literary critic, and a …
Source: 1990s and beyond, The Book of Probes : Marshall McLuhan (2011), p. 259
Rudolf Carnap (1891–1970) German philosopher
Source: Carnap’s intellectual biography (1963), p. 62
Werner Heisenberg (1901–1976) German theoretical physicist
Physics and Philosophy (1958)
Context: The words "position" and "velocity" of an electron... seemed perfectly well defined... and in fact they were clearly defined concepts within the mathematical framework of Newtonian mechanics. But actually they were not well defined, as seen from the relations of uncertainty. One may say that regarding their position in Newtonian mechanics they were well defined, but in their relation to nature, they were not. This shows that we can never know beforehand which limitations will be put on the applicability of certain concepts by the extension of our knowledge into the remote parts of nature, into which we can only penetrate with the most elaborate tools. Therefore, in the process of penetration we are bound sometimes to use our concepts in a way which is not justified and which carries no meaning. Insistence on the postulate of complete logical clarification would make science impossible. We are reminded... of the old wisdom that one who insists on never uttering an error must remain silent.
Antonio Negri book Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire
104
Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire