tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post544769765261084172..comments2024-01-11T21:24:44.379-07:00Comments on A Blog of Tom: Theory and FactTom Cantinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234109728445439457noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-56694618531706747082012-03-02T11:54:08.694-07:002012-03-02T11:54:08.694-07:00Okay, now you've got me really thinking, and I...Okay, now you've got me really thinking, and I can't quite wrap my head around what I want to say, so I will think about it a little more and then reply. Thanks Tom!<br /><br />ShaniAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-73798438545065110532012-02-29T22:01:39.594-07:002012-02-29T22:01:39.594-07:00Thanks, Shani. It's interesting you mention la...Thanks, Shani. It's interesting you mention language, because in a sense language is itself a "theory", in that it divides the world up into various sorts of concepts and allows us to formulate propositions using its lexicon and grammar. Now, it may seem that language doesn't itself make predictions in the way that we expect scientific theories to, since we can meaningfully formulate false but grammatically correct sentences, but in fact it <i>does</i> very powerfully shape the way we think. For example, in English, it's hard to talk about persons without attaching a gender, because our third-person pronouns force the issue (and since we seem to think it's rude to refer to a sentient person as "it"). In a sense, then, the "theory" of English seems to "predict" that every person must have a gender.Tom Cantinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06234109728445439457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1883551996126668365.post-29810426649049666692012-02-29T18:17:36.542-07:002012-02-29T18:17:36.542-07:00A wonderfully written post Tom, and I love the fac...A wonderfully written post Tom, and I love the fact that it's based on Music Theory, something close to my heart.<br /><br />Music Theory is like a language, one that we all speak with different accents, or use different colours with like painting. And anyone can contribute to the Theory.<br /><br />ShaniAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com