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From: dawson <dawson@cs.smu.ca>
To: categories list <categories@mta.ca>
Subject: categories: Re: Terminology for point-free topology?
Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2023 19:16:39 -0400	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <E1pMaU7-0005zE-EK@rr.mta.ca> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <E1pMEOJ-0001HM-4X@rr.mta.ca>

Patrik Eklund wrote:

> But my view is that we must keep "real-world applicability"
> at least as a "general burden" in the sense
> that all science must useful, in one way or another.
> Science should never be just "aus liebe zur Kunst".

You should, of course, follow your own ethical guidance, but I
respectfully disagree that "we" must do so.

Most of us agree that a painting or a novel can be beautiful without
having an improving message, that fine wine is worthwhile even if its
health benefits are dubious, etc.  Why should science be required to
clear a utilitarian bar that other fields of human endeavour do not?
Surely the onus is on anybody making such a claim to prove it.

Secondly, supposing [purely for the sake of argument!] that science
(oddly and uniquely) has no value except its utility. In many cases the
science that proves most useful was not obviously so when it was done.
Consider, for an overused but yet valid example, the number theory of
whose inutility Hardy wrote so proudly, and which now protects much of
the world's electronic commerce. Thus, we can't use this as a guide to
what we should study _now._

Best wishes,
Robert




[For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]

  reply	other threads:[~2023-01-30 20:11 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 19+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2023-01-16 11:50 Steven Vickers
     [not found] ` <a23cbfc0-7433-eec1-115e-af2041d4cfd1@uu.nl>
2023-01-18 12:12   ` Steven Vickers
2023-01-20  3:06     ` David Yetter
     [not found]     ` <SN6PR05MB5213EBE225CB83D101EA0F57A2C59@SN6PR05MB5213.namprd05.prod.outlook.com>
2023-01-20 11:50       ` Steven Vickers
2023-01-21 19:42         ` ptj
2023-01-23 11:44           ` Pedro Resende
2023-01-30 21:59             ` categories: " Wesley Phoa
2023-02-01  9:41               ` Martin Hyland
     [not found]     ` <18E1AA5F-0054-4CA3-B231-BD9B799B03A2@tecnico.ulisboa.pt>
2023-01-23 13:47       ` Steven Vickers
     [not found]     ` <YQXPR01MB26464DF33EAE7481847A4F82E5C99@YQXPR01MB2646.CANPRD01.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>
2023-01-24 12:20       ` categories: " Robert Pare
2023-01-27 17:55     ` Pedro Resende
2023-01-28  5:43       ` Patrik Eklund
2023-01-29 23:16         ` dawson [this message]
2023-01-28 10:48       ` categories: complete Galois groups Clemens Berger
2023-01-30 17:34         ` categories: " Eduardo J. Dubuc
     [not found] ` <LNXP265MB1049E00AEC9CE5BE1233CCEF95C69@LNXP265MB1049.GBRP265.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>
2023-01-22 21:32   ` Terminology for point-free topology? Vaughan Pratt
     [not found] ` <CAL7kZqCz081nyFQuo_QFfaGzGe+UBORJHOZWsO9VgNzpDJ9_Gw@mail.gmail.com>
2023-01-23 13:25   ` Steven Vickers
     [not found] ` <LNXP265MB104912A7940157738582CE2595C89@LNXP265MB1049.GBRP265.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>
2023-01-23 23:17   ` categories: " Vaughan Pratt
     [not found] ` <CAL7kZqAPzmzf=wt=qKNBjjeb_dGtG4eDu7tv5Eku-AVZD7wWtw@mail.gmail.com>
2023-01-24 11:45   ` Steven Vickers

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