[SystemSafety] Formality is metaphorical (was Re: power plant user interfaces)

From: C. Michael Holloway < >
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2015 07:30:42 -0400

On 7/15/15 1:20 AM, Peter Bernard Ladkin wrote:
> ... There is a fair amount of math and logic involved. No metaphors.

A good case can be made that formal logic is as metaphorical as it gets.

After all one of the meanings of metaphor is "Something regarded as representative or suggestive of something else ...." ["metaphor, n. (sense 2)". OED Online. June 2015. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/117328 (accessed July 15, 2015).]

(I have no doubt that I will regret having posted this brief message before this day is done.)

-- 
/*cMh*/

*C. Michael Holloway*, Senior Research Engineer
Safety Critical Avionics Systems Branch, Research Directorate
NASA Langley Research Center / MS 130 Hampton VA 23681-2199 USA
office phone: +1.757.864.1701 /often forwarded to/ +1.757.598.1707

The words in this message are mine alone; neither blame nor credit NASA 
for them.




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Received on Wed Jul 15 2015 - 13:30:08 CEST