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In this section I consider the step of formalization that takes discussion from a large scale informal inquiry to a well-defined formal inquiry, establishing a relation between the implicit context and the explicit text.

In this Section (1.3.5), I am considering the step of formalization that takes discussion from a large scale informal inquiry to a well-defined formal inquiry, establishing a relation between the implicit context and the explicit text.

In this project, formalization is used to produce formal models that represent relevant features of a phenomenon or process of interest.  Thus, the formal model is what constitutes the image of formalization.

In this project as a whole, formalization is used to produce formal models that represent relevant features of a phenomenon or process of interest.  Thus, the formal model is what constitutes the image of formalization.

The role of formalization splits into two different cases depending on the intended use of the formal model.  When the phenomenon of interest is external to the agent that is carrying out the formalization, then the model of that phenomenon can be developed without doing significant reflection on the formalization process itself.  This is usually a more straightforward operation, since it avails itself of automatic competencies that are not themselves in question.  However, …

The role of formalization splits into two different cases depending on the intended use of the formal model.  When the phenomenon of interest is external to the agent that is carrying out the formalization, then the model of that phenomenon can be developed without doing any great amount of significant reflection on the formalization process itself.  This is usually a more straightforward operation, since it can avail itself of automatic competencies that are not themselves in question.  But when the phenomenon of interest is entangled with the conduct of the agent in question, then the formal modeling of that conduct will generally involve a more or less difficult component of reflection.

In a recursive context, a principal benefit of the formalization step is to find constituents of inquiry with reduced complexities, drawing attention from the context of informal inquiry, whose stock of questions may not be grasped well enough to ever be fruitful and the scope of whose questions may not be focused well enough to ever see an answer, and concentrating effort in an arena of formalized inquiry, where the questions are posed well enough to have some hope of bearing productive answers in a finite time.

In a recursive context, a principal benefit of the formalization step is to find constituents of inquiry with reduced complexities, drawing attention from the context of informal inquiry, whose stock of questions may not be grasped well enough ever to be fruitful and the scope of whose questions may not be focused well enough ever to see an answer, and concentrating effort in an arena of formalized inquiry, where the questions are posed well enough to have some hope of bearing productive answers in a finite time.

=====1.3.5.6. Analogs, Icons, Models, Surrogates=====

=====1.3.5.6. Analogs, Icons, Models, Surrogates=====