[~ot] why is programming so fun?

[BCS]

Reply to Yigal,

> So we agree to disagree. As you said, I still think you are wrong, and
> while as you say the /concept/ of god should be something everyone can
> agree on, in reality this just isn't so. our own debate here is proof.

I think people should be actual be able to agree on what mutually contradictory 
concepts are. For example, we can agree on what your concept of god is and 
also agree on what my concept of god is. That is not to say that we should 
agree that bot are valid, but only what each would entail and /that they 
exist/.

I saying that, I noticed that I was forced to use the phrasing like "what 
a concept IS"; that 'is' may make an important difference but until now I 
was mentally omitting it. If that changes your understanding of my view, 
it might be interesting to revisit some of the past points.

> and I think that not only there are different views based on culture
> but even two individuals within the same cultural framework would have
> slightly different views of what that concept means.
> 
> the link is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf_Hypothesis

neat! I had no idea that that concept has a formalization. I have run into 
it in a number of different forms. Actually I have played around with (as 
part of a fiction) a somewhat reverse idea that by examining the language 
of a group you can deduce some facts about them. The example that I was playing 
with involved the assumption that humans have telepathy based on the fact 
that we have a word for it.

> 
> English related question: are "conjecture" and "Hypothesis" synonyms?
> 

No, a "conjecture" is generally thought to be true (or probable) but a "hypothesis" 
is just an idea to be tested. It kind of a flavor thing more than a hard 
distinction.

> --Yigal
>