Comments on: The slow, inevitable decay unto death http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2007/02/slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death.html There exist problems, intractable to decide, yet easy to check. Fri, 07 May 2010 22:25:51 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Peter http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2007/02/slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death.html/comment-page-1#comment-46 Peter Sat, 02 May 2009 09:26:56 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/the-slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death#comment-46 I little late comment here...<br /><br />Naur is either a rambling, angry fool or a great genius. We will know in 20 years. I am currently writing a master thesis based on his synapse-state theory and I am still unsure about Naur and his theory (I need not a 'correct' theory in order to write a master thesis, I just need to show that I can use and be critical of a theory - any theory.). <br /><br />It is correct to say that Naurs synapse-state theory can explain a very large amount of human phenomena and activity; and in great detail. I can only say that nothing like it exist in psychology at all.<br /><br />I will see you here again in 20 years. I little late comment here…

Naur is either a rambling, angry fool or a great genius. We will know in 20 years. I am currently writing a master thesis based on his synapse-state theory and I am still unsure about Naur and his theory (I need not a ‘correct’ theory in order to write a master thesis, I just need to show that I can use and be critical of a theory – any theory.).

It is correct to say that Naurs synapse-state theory can explain a very large amount of human phenomena and activity; and in great detail. I can only say that nothing like it exist in psychology at all.

I will see you here again in 20 years.

]]> By: George Loomis http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2007/02/slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death.html/comment-page-1#comment-47 George Loomis Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:54:07 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/the-slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death#comment-47 Of course Peter Naur has some illustrious predecessors in his desertion of his original field and migration into another that his previous peers would consider a crackpot endeavor, ranging as far back as Isaac Newton's Biblical investigations. Psychology itself is replete with "schools of thought" and academic wars among them. Naur has company in attacking both behaviorism and cognitivism in J.J. Gibson's ecological approach.Unfortunately Naur appears to have made the classic crackpot error of confusing rejection for incompetence with ideological opposition. He should look at the work of Gerald Edelman for guidance -- after winning the Nobel Prize for developing the clonal selection model of immune system response, a revolutionary idea on its own, Edelman switched fields into an even more far-out area than Naur is entering, the nature of consciousness itself. While Edelman's theory of consciousness as a result of reentrant activity created by neuronal group selection is almost surely wrong, his books and papers are monuments of careful, thorough thinking and in-depth research that put Naur's ramblings to shame. And it shows in Edelman's numerous consciousness publications in journals like Science and PNAS, while Naur can't get publshed in anyplace credible. Of course Peter Naur has some illustrious predecessors in his desertion of his original field and migration into another that his previous peers would consider a crackpot endeavor, ranging as far back as Isaac Newton’s Biblical investigations. Psychology itself is replete with “schools of thought” and academic wars among them. Naur has company in attacking both behaviorism and cognitivism in J.J. Gibson’s ecological approach.Unfortunately Naur appears to have made the classic crackpot error of confusing rejection for incompetence with ideological opposition. He should look at the work of Gerald Edelman for guidance — after winning the Nobel Prize for developing the clonal selection model of immune system response, a revolutionary idea on its own, Edelman switched fields into an even more far-out area than Naur is entering, the nature of consciousness itself. While Edelman’s theory of consciousness as a result of reentrant activity created by neuronal group selection is almost surely wrong, his books and papers are monuments of careful, thorough thinking and in-depth research that put Naur’s ramblings to shame. And it shows in Edelman’s numerous consciousness publications in journals like Science and PNAS, while Naur can’t get publshed in anyplace credible.

]]> By: Kurt http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2007/02/slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death.html/comment-page-1#comment-48 Kurt Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:42:17 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/the-slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death#comment-48 A couple of tidbits I've noticed since posting this entry...I said that Peter Naur would be remembered favorably, but this is evidently far from a unanimous opinion. In the comments to Lance Fortnow's < HREF="http://weblog.fortnow.com/2007/02/turing-award.html" REL="nofollow">post<> on the 2006 Turing award, there are several comments complaining about Naur's 2005 award.On the other hand, in the March <>Communications of the ACM<>, there was a letter to the editor applauding Naur's article (and this was the only published letter referencing the article). I wonder how many letters they had to sort through to come up with a positive one? A couple of tidbits I’ve noticed since posting this entry…I said that Peter Naur would be remembered favorably, but this is evidently far from a unanimous opinion. In the comments to Lance Fortnow’s < HREF="http://weblog.fortnow.com/2007/02/turing-award.html" REL="nofollow">post<> on the 2006 Turing award, there are several comments complaining about Naur’s 2005 award.On the other hand, in the March <>Communications of the ACM<>, there was a letter to the editor applauding Naur’s article (and this was the only published letter referencing the article). I wonder how many letters they had to sort through to come up with a positive one?

]]> By: Anonymous http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2007/02/slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death.html/comment-page-1#comment-49 Anonymous Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:09:56 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/the-slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death#comment-49 I just finished reading Naur's article after putting it off for a month, and found it just as depressing as you; the suspicious tone, the defensive passages, the numerous non sequitur's, and the clawing, feet-stomping appeals to his own authority are iconic -- I feel sorry for Naur. I just finished reading Naur’s article after putting it off for a month, and found it just as depressing as you; the suspicious tone, the defensive passages, the numerous non sequitur’s, and the clawing, feet-stomping appeals to his own authority are iconic — I feel sorry for Naur.

]]> By: Foxy http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2007/02/slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death.html/comment-page-1#comment-50 Foxy Mon, 19 Feb 2007 04:52:56 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/the-slow-inevitable-decay-unto-death#comment-50 The greeks had a concept of 'cleos', which was your name living on after you, which was as close to immortality as you're going to get. I always liked that thought.Unless of course my 20 year obsessions and ramblings are what people remember.Interesting blog. I look forward to reading/learning much here.(And thanks for the nudging on the proof about 1. It helped.) The greeks had a concept of ‘cleos’, which was your name living on after you, which was as close to immortality as you’re going to get. I always liked that thought.Unless of course my 20 year obsessions and ramblings are what people remember.Interesting blog. I look forward to reading/learning much here.(And thanks for the nudging on the proof about 1. It helped.)

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