From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Msuck: nntp://news.gmane.io/gmane.science.mathematics.categories/7076 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Todd Trimble Newsgroups: gmane.science.mathematics.categories Subject: Re: Dualities arising via pairs of schizophrenic objects Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:43:40 -0500 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: Todd Trimble NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1322486494 14890 80.91.229.12 (28 Nov 2011 13:21:34 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:21:34 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Categories list To: "Fred E.J. Linton" Original-X-From: majordomo@mlist.mta.ca Mon Nov 28 14:21:30 2011 Return-path: Envelope-to: gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from smtpx.mta.ca ([138.73.1.4]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1RV19F-0001HX-RE for gsmc-categories@m.gmane.org; Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:21:30 +0100 Original-Received: from mlist.mta.ca ([138.73.1.63]:54286) by smtpx.mta.ca with esmtp (Exim 4.76) (envelope-from ) id 1RV18K-0007EA-Cw; Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:20:32 -0400 Original-Received: from majordomo by mlist.mta.ca with local (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1RV18I-0006tP-SI for categories-list@mlist.mta.ca; Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:20:30 -0400 Precedence: bulk Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.science.mathematics.categories:7076 Archived-At: This discussion about 'schizophrenic' mostly feels like d=E9j=E0 vu, but the point about shingles, while amusing, misses the serious point that Tom is making. I agree that most everyone knows that the medical condition has nothing at all to do with roofing shingles (the etymologies of both words are interesting -- look them up). But not everyone yet understands that schizophrenia has nothing to do with 'split personality', as a careless folk-etymology might lead one to suppose. But this false meaning is indeed the one reinforced by the usage in category theory (and the coinage may have been based on the misunderstanding). Leaving aside this potential reinforcement of a misunderstanding, I do agree that people experienced in category theory will recognize the intended categorical meaning, however inapt the coinage may be. Todd ----- Original Message -----=20 From: "Fred E.J. Linton" To: Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2011 10:06 AM Subject: categories: Re: Dualities arising via pairs of schizophrenic=20 objects > To redeploy some recent words of Tom Leinster, shingles is (as I know f= rom > painful first-hand experience) "a serious and often frightening=20 > condition." > > Yet I would not go so far as to insist that roofing shingles or > siding shingles be outfitted with some other name, or to urge > doctors or lawyers to refrain from speaking of "hanging out their > shingles" when they open their practices. > > I think intelligent people can be trusted to understand even potentiall= y > ambiguous words in a correct, mature, context-driven way. > > Cheers, -- Fred Linton > > [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]