'For the person or persons that hold dominion, can no more combine with the keeping up of majesty the running with harlots drunk or naked about the streets, or the performances of a stage player, or the open violation or contempt of laws passed by themselves than they can combine existence with non-existence'.

- Benedict de Spinoza. Political Treatise. 1677.




Saturday, October 24, 2009

on certainty 139


139.  Not only rules, but also examples are needed for establishing practice. Our rules leave loop-holes open, and the practice has to speak for itself.



a practice is what people do –

examples of it –

are what people do-

a ‘rule’ – is a description of practice –

it might be useful

any description will be uncertain –

hence – ‘loopholes’

any practice – deals with uncertainty –

and is in turn an example –

of it


© greg t. charlton. 2009.