| Line 578: |
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| | appreciably closer to a solid base for the operational | | appreciably closer to a solid base for the operational |
| | definition of inquiry. | | definition of inquiry. |
| − | </pre>
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| − |
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| − | =====1.3.5.11. A Formal Aesthetic=====
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| − |
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| − | <pre>
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| − | | Now we read disharmonies and problems into things
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| − | | because we think only in the form of language --
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| − | | and thus believe in the "eternal truth" of
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| − | | "reason" (e.g., subject, attribute, etc.)
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| − | |
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| − | | (Nietzsche, 'The Will to Power', S 522, 283).
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| − |
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| − | Recognizing that the Latin word "forma" means not just "form"
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| − | but also "beauty" supplies a clue that not all formal models
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| − | are equally valuable for a purpose of interest. There is
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| − | a certain quality of formal elegance, or select character,
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| − | that is essential to the practical utility of the model.
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| − |
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| − | The virtue of a good formal model is to provide discussion with
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| − | a fitting image of the whole phenomenon of interest. The aim of
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| − | formalization is to extract from an informal discussion or locate
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| − | within a broader inquiry a clearer and simpler image of the whole
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| − | activity. If the formalized image or precis is unusually apt then
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| − | it might be prized as a gnomon or a recapitulation and be said to
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| − | capture the essence, the gist, of the nub of the whole affair.
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| − |
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| − | A pragmatic qualification of this virtue requires that the image be
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| − | formed quickly enough to take decisive action on. So the quality of
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| − | being a result often takes precedence over the quality of the result.
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| − | A definite result, however partial, is frequently reckoned as better
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| − | than having to wait for a definitive picture that may never develop.
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| − |
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| − | But an overly narrow or premature formalization, where the nature of
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| − | the phenomenon of interest is too much denatured in the formal image,
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| − | may result in destroying all interest in the result that does result.
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| | </pre> | | </pre> |