From rosserjb@jmu.edu  Mon Apr 21 17:31:59 1997
From: rosserjb@jmu.edu (Rosser Jr, John Barkley)
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 12:31:59 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Subject: M-TH: formalism
Message-ID: <SIMEON.9704211259.C@oem-computer.jmu.edu>

     Oh yes, Ganter-Tumino have accused me of "formalism."  
This is a term used by the mathematically illiterate for 
mathematics.  It was also used historically by Stalinists 
to justify purging and killing anybody using mathematical 
or abstract concepts, e.g. the mathematical economists such 
as Kondratiev in the late 1930s, and the composer 
Shostakovich in the late 1940s (during the anti-cosmopolite 
purge), although Shostakovich survived physically.  Of 
course, knowing the abhorence of violence by Ganter-Tumino, 
I'm sure they would not wish to consign me to a gulag.  But 
then there has been considerable evidence on these lists 
that they don't know what "violence" is, the poor 
semiotically innocent fellows that they are.
     BTW, they seem to think that I am upset that they did 
not cite me.  Hardly.  I am cited plenty by people who know 
what they are talking about.  I would prefer to keep it 
that way.  I was merely trying to be helpful/educational, 
since it is clear that they need plenty of both.
Barkley Rosser

-- 
Rosser Jr, John Barkley
rosserjb@jmu.edu




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