Hate to quibble. . .actually I love to quibble. But current ecological
theory holds that *if* ecosystems actually exist, they are considerably
*less* than the sum of the parts.
As to the second example, I'm not sure I get it. If I build one of those
elaborate machines out of Tinker Toys, are you saying that is *more* than
the sum of the parts or are you saying that humans have some intrinsic
"otherness* about them?
You seem to be saying that "systems" are different than the parts of the
system. That may be true, but the math remains the same. I was holding that
in any numerical system, 1+1=2. I wasn't, really, being metaphysical.
Steven
Nothing is true, all is permitted, nothing
is true, all is permitted, nothing is true,
all is permitted, nothing is true. . .
The Adventures of Omar Khyyam
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion forum for environmental ethics.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Ray Lanier
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 1:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: FW: White Man's Fall
Steven, take the ecosystem(s)! One with 6 participating systems.
If you just add the systems that make the whole numerically (hierarchically)
you get 6 discrete units. But when you look at the ecosystem as a whole - a
holarchy - you get a unit that is more than the individual participants.
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
Or the human body: each cell is alive but the sum of the cells that make up
the human is greater than the eqivalent of 1+1=2.
N'est pas? Oops! Sorry that's two (2) examples! :-)
Ray
-----------------
> give one (1) example.
>
> Steven
>
> Dada is not dead
> Watch your overcoat
>
>
>
> Hello Steven,
>
> You wrote in part:
> > All reality is conditioned. I'm not such a Cartesian to believe that
there
> > is one and only one reality, but I'm not enough of a cosmologist to
think
> > that there is a reality somewhere where 1 + 1 does *not* = 2. So I guess
> I'm
> > a conditional conditionalist. How's that for obfuscating?
> >
>
> But, with synergy, there are many times when 1+1= more than 2, even in
this
> world!! :-)
>
> >From an old practitioner of obfuscation!! :-)
>
> Ray
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