Re: bird-names, star-names

[Brian Whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 05:23 PM 5/29/02, Hugh, you wrote:
> ... one should not fool themselves into thinking that once they knew
> the name of something that that was all they had to do--"knowing the
> name of is not knowing something." Unfortunately, too often we stop
> as soon as we know the name.
>
> Too often when we ask a question in class, the answer will be
> something like "Newton's First Law," or "Centrifugal Force" or some
> other name they have heard of in context of the question, but a bit
> of further probing makes it clear that all they have is a name and
> they have no idea how the concept should be applied. ...
> Hugh Haskell
> <mailto:haskell@ncssm.edu>
> <mailto:hhaskell@mindspring.com>


It's the medical business that this labeling issue bears on
with particular force.

"Doctor, doctor, I am having difficulty breathing."
"Ah yes, you have pulmonary insufficiency".

Doctor, doctor, my face, eyes and nails look yellow"
"Ah yes, you have jaundice"

But having had my share of fun at the cost of these worthy practitioners,
I suppose that assigning an appropriate label, is the necessary precursor
to selecting appropriate treatment, though the etiology may not be
completely known.

Brian Whatcott
  Altus OK                      Eureka!