Sniffnoy comments on That Magical Click - Less Wrong

58 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 20 January 2010 04:35PM

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Comment author: Sniffnoy 21 January 2010 08:33:58AM 2 points [-]

(Side note: I find myself often trying to find a way to express grasp/control as a pair, because really the two are the same. If you really grasp something, you should be able to control it, at least in principle.)

Well, anything mathematical would be an exception to that, at the least.

Comment author: pjeby 22 January 2010 02:28:03AM 5 points [-]

Well, anything mathematical would be an exception to that, at the least.

If you really grasp something mathematical, you ought to be able to apply it -- at least in principle.

Comment author: Sniffnoy 22 January 2010 09:01:35AM 2 points [-]

OK but that's not really what "control" normally means, is it? "Manipulate" might be a better word here.

Comment author: RobinZ 22 January 2010 12:43:36PM 2 points [-]

"Manipulate" would also extend the thinking-as-holding metaphor of "grasp".

(I have to admit that I was confused by "control" as well.)