| I can explain the differences. I've been using these distinctions in practice for many years. "Mechanical" means algorithmic. It's what Turing meant when he wrote "The idea behind digital computers may be explained by saying that these machines are intended to carry out any operations which could be done by a human computer. The human computer is supposed to be following fixed rules; he has no authority to deviate from them in any detail. We may suppose that these rules are supplied in a book, which is altered whenever he is put on to a new job." See: https://redirect.cs.umbc.edu/courses/471/papers/turing.pdf Checking is an evaluation activity that can be COMPLETELY automated. Testing is a social activity done by humans. It cannot be automated because it incorporates social judgement. Social judgement requires collective tacit social knowledge. See: The Shape of Actions, by Harry Collins for a very deep dive into that. A human exploration is distinguished by the presence of choosing. Humans make choices. You could claim that human choices are an epiphenomenon of bio-mechanics, if you want to. I actually believe that, myself. However, we are speaking of the social/practical realm. In this realm we perceive each other and treat each other as if we are making free choices (although perhaps influenced by known sources of bias). Thus the difference between exploring and checking is that, in every moment, a check is controlled by an explicit script that is knowable in principle; whereas in exploration, a person is forming new thoughts and theories, through a process of real-time sensemaking (otherwise known as learning). Checking is a process of operating a product and verifying a particular fact. A check does not change the checker. Exploration is a process of interacting, experiencing, and being transformed by this process. Exploration grows the explorer. |