[Sigia-l] IA system components ? add to the list!

[Boniface Lau]

> From: sigia-l-admin at asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-admin at asis.org]On
> Behalf Of Listera
>  
> "Boniface Lau" wrote:
> 
> >> To cite one historical example: For a very long time the world
> >> was (perfectly) defined by Ptolemic maps.
> > 
> > Because the maps were well-defined, people could verify the
> > correctness.
> 
> No, just the opposite!
> 
> The tension was between the theological constructs and dogmatic
> oversimplifications of the Christian orthodoxy (which was
> essentially useless to captains at sea) and the practical wisdom of
> the portalonos accumulated by the actual experiences of seamen.
> 
> While the Ptolemic revival was a breath fresh air over longstanding
> cartographic dogmas, his classic world map, nevertheless, indicated
> there was no passage to India and China via sailing eastward around
> Africa (thus making the Indian Ocean and China Sea into an enclosed
> lake).
> 
> It was when the courageous and non-provincial Portuguese sailed
> around Africa to reach India and China that the Ptolemic maps were
> finally rendered useless in fact.

That just reinforces my point: because the maps were well-defined,
the Portuguese could verify that the maps were not correct.


> Despite that, as I indicated, Ptolemic maps remained the staple of
> printed atlases all over for a long time.

Well-defined does not mean something is valid.


> 
> > Thus, it is important to define what we are talking about.
> 
> I can give you countless examples to show that today's 'definition' (and
> orthodoxy) is tomorrow's anachronism. 

Well-defined does not mean timelessness.


> Academic and dogmatic 'definitions' from above eventually give way
> to facts from practice.  The Church had a perfect 'definition' of
> the world, constructed from what they knew and what fit their
> dogmas. The truth turned out to be quite different, and continues to
> evolve as we speak.

Well-defined does not mean something matches the reality.

May be I should remind you what it means to be well-defined. When
something is well-defined it is clear and precise and therefore easy
to recognize or understand.


Boniface