I try to teach my students that argument by authority
is VERBOTEN!!!!!!
My heart is with Jack, but my head tells me we are less well served by
not having some authority in place to pin down the essential structure
of our vocabulary, concepts, definitions, etc.
I believe we were forced into delegating the definition of *units*
because that is an economic issue; the business community, and
therefore the government, wouldn't stand for the kind of anarchy that
exists in the definition of concepts and quantities. You can conduct
research and use physics and apply physics without everyone agreeing on
the definition and symbolization of concepts and quantities, but not
without a precise commonality of units. Something everybody can agree
on, like the king's shoe size.
IMHO one of the reasons we have all these arguments about some pretty
basic issues which shouldn't be so darned difficult to agree upon is
that we have not, as a profession, created an authority for the
establishment of definitions of concepts and quantities and symbols. It
would bring a lot of clarity to the learning and discussion of physics
if we did. It would give us a common definitory frame of reference,
like SI does for units. Yes, some of us would have to give up cherished
and entrenched philosophical positions, which is why it probably won't
happen in my lifetime.
Best wishes,
Larry
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Larry Cartwright <exit60@cablespeed.com>
Retired (June 2001) Physics Teacher
Charlotte MI 48813 USA
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"Information is not knowledge,
knowledge is not wisdom,
and wisdom is not foresight.
Each grows out of the other
and we need them all."
(Arthur C. Clarke)