¶ Generalization Sequence (1)
← Generalization | Generalization Sequence (2) →
Index Entry
There’s no drive we have quite so great as the sense of order and the urge to employ the sense of order. The best I can see of man’s function is the one of the mind. The mind has the ability to generalize. We don’t have any experimental suggestion that the physical would be able to generalize. The physical is always a special case. Each of the neurons are keeping the special case incident, but in mind we see the ability to run them over and find out that which is generalized among them. For instance, we said the other day that we have the theory of functions where X can stand for tension and Y for compression; where X could stand for photons and Y for neutrons; where X could stand for concave and Y for convex. These are always normally coexistent. That’s the theory of Functions, that is, a generalization of generalizations. And there are generalizations which embrace a plurality of generalizations.
There are very basic first-degree generalizations, and second-degree, and third-degree, and fourth-degree. We find there are five degrees of generalizations where one embraces the others, and we finally get to a word like ‘Universe.’
¶ Citations
- RBF to World Game, Jun-Jul’69
