| > kind of true but not wholly true Give us an example of some relevant label that would be "«wholly true»" instead of "«just kind of true»". Because metaphors, and the whole system of fuzzy pattern relations, are based on fuzzy pattern relations. > none of the definitions treat learn in a non-collective way You have misunderstood my post. I would prefer that you read it again. You are complaining about loose use of the language: I noted that you yourself used the term 'person' more than loosely, with a dubious jump. When one says '«like a person learns»', that is supposed to be "like a specific individual in his own individual characteristics will learn" - instead you used to say "like people in general learn". A "person" is a "definite form", not a general individual representing common features - it is the opposite. > very loaded statement Which you are taking out of context. I said that you have to call the moulding of your functions something, and that "learn" seems a very acceptable term, since it is bottom-up instead of top-down, it is automated instead of encoded: it is developed against data, it "learns". And that if the term is disliked, there could be a very good reason, because 'learn' was born as a sort of a hunting term¹ - it really means something like "investigate" -, which is a happy coincidence because what is largely missing in AI is critical thinking, part of the active process of learning ("learning" is active as investigation is). And the day John will have to check «accepted standard[s]» to see how things are, I will be willing to comply to his sad request for mercy.² ¹Irregardless of what the Merriam-Webster will write, because you get a none-the-wiser relative notion but not knowledge from a "dictionary of use", as at the paragraph for 'life' you will not find the meaning of life. ²John must be, tautologically, an "active learner". (He will check personally.) |