Comments on: The perils of pragmamorphism http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/ Models.Behaving.Badly Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:10:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: EmanuelDerman http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/#comment-183 EmanuelDerman Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:46:57 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/?p=403#comment-183 Great Morgenbesser joke. He's apparently the guy who was sitting at a seminar and a speaker said to the audience: "You know, while two negatives make a positive, two positives don't make a negative." "Yeah, yeah," said Morgenbesser sarcastically. Great Morgenbesser joke. He’s apparently the guy who was sitting at a seminar and a speaker said to the audience: “You know, while two negatives make a positive, two positives don’t make a negative.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Morgenbesser sarcastically.

]]> By: depthdynamics http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/#comment-179 depthdynamics Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:48:53 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/?p=403#comment-179 Intelligence is overated: it is no more than a basic mental process (like a calculator) that has been accorded a higher level of awareness than it actually possesses; few can stand outside of the process and observe, and if necessary recalibrate. Intelligence and awareness are two different things. The inability of many supposedly clever people to question what they are doing also suggests some form of mental imprinting/social patterning with respect to the way we process information and learn. Intelligence is overated: it is no more than a basic mental process (like a calculator) that has been accorded a higher level of awareness than it actually possesses; few can stand outside of the process and observe, and if necessary recalibrate. Intelligence and awareness are two different things.

The inability of many supposedly clever people to question what they are doing also suggests some form of mental imprinting/social patterning with respect to the way we process information and learn.

]]> By: ManDeNovo http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/#comment-178 ManDeNovo Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:39:02 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/?p=403#comment-178 I've always said that the social sciences shouldn't aim to be like physics, but neither should they be purely descriptive. The best that an economist can ever hope to be is something like a TV Weather Man of economic history. Close to fully accurate about the causes of past events, but possessing nothing more than decent probabilistic models for the future. And we're still a long, long way from that. And it seems to me that this analogy is even less amenable to finance because the profit motive means a constant shift in the relevance of any given model as awareness spreads quickly. You would know a lot more than me about this! Good post. I’ve always said that the social sciences shouldn’t aim to be like physics, but neither should they be purely descriptive. The best that an economist can ever hope to be is something like a TV Weather Man of economic history. Close to fully accurate about the causes of past events, but possessing nothing more than decent probabilistic models for the future. And we’re still a long, long way from that. And it seems to me that this analogy is even less amenable to finance because the profit motive means a constant shift in the relevance of any given model as awareness spreads quickly. You would know a lot more than me about this! Good post.

]]> By: MSardelich http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/#comment-177 MSardelich Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:06:27 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/?p=403#comment-177 Before anything else, I would say that this piece has poetry and original thinking, be sure I will use the "pragmamorphic" definition in my next posts. I am a physicist that use to work as a quantitative prop trader. Something that catch my attention is to consider the market as a model not a theory, and I completely agree with that. As I use to say, we have to face market data as a realization which originating process changing randomly. Given that, we can never catch "the truth behind" cause you can't go back in time and take other realizations. My question is related to deterministic theories that are described by random variables (like quantum mechanics and BS models). Do you believe that an evolution of neuroscience studies (human behavior) and agents modelling (`a la Doyne Farmer) can contributes to a better understanding of "originating proccess"? Before anything else, I would say that this piece has poetry and original thinking, be sure I will use the “pragmamorphic” definition in my next posts. I am a physicist that use to work as a quantitative prop trader. Something that catch my attention is to consider the market as a model not a theory, and I completely agree with that. As I use to say, we have to face market data as a realization which originating process changing randomly. Given that, we can never catch “the truth behind” cause you can’t go back in time and take other realizations. My question is related to deterministic theories that are described by random variables (like quantum mechanics and BS models). Do you believe that an evolution of neuroscience studies (human behavior) and agents modelling (`a la Doyne Farmer) can contributes to a better understanding of “originating proccess”?

]]> By: MSardelich http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/#comment-176 MSardelich Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:05:22 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/?p=403#comment-176 Before anything else, I would say that this piece has poetry and original thinking, be sure I will use the "pragmamorphic" definition in my next posts. I am a physicist that use to work as a quantitative prop trader. Something that catch my attention is to consider the market as a model not a theory, and I completely agree with that. As I use to say, we have to face market data as a realization which originating process changing randomly. Given that, we can never catch "the truth behind" cause you can't go back in time and take other realizations. My question is related to deterministic theories that are described by random variables (like quantum mechanics and BS models). Do you believe that an evolution of neuroscience studies (human behavior) and agents modelling (`a la Doyne Farmer) can contributes to a better understanding of "originating proccess"? Before anything else, I would say that this piece has poetry and original thinking, be sure I will use the “pragmamorphic” definition in my next posts. I am a physicist that use to work as a quantitative prop trader. Something that catch my attention is to consider the market as a model not a theory, and I completely agree with that. As I use to say, we have to face market data as a realization which originating process changing randomly. Given that, we can never catch “the truth behind” cause you can’t go back in time and take other realizations. My question is related to deterministic theories that are described by random variables (like quantum mechanics and BS models). Do you believe that an evolution of neuroscience studies (human behavior) and agents modelling (`a la Doyne Farmer) can contributes to a better understanding of “originating proccess”?

]]> By: alkali http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/#comment-175 alkali Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:51:03 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/?p=403#comment-175 I am reminded of philosopher Sidney Morgenbesser's question to the behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner: "Let me see if I understand your thesis. You think we shouldn’t anthropomorphize <I>people</I>?" I am reminded of philosopher Sidney Morgenbesser’s question to the behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner: “Let me see if I understand your thesis. You think we shouldn’t anthropomorphize people?”

]]> By: jmh530 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/2011/09/23/the-perils-of-pragmamorphism/#comment-174 jmh530 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:32:52 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/emanuelderman/?p=403#comment-174 I thought it was interesting you referred to that statement by Dawkins. It didn't make sense when I read it the first time and it still doesn't. After all, the FBI DID interrogate him and ask him about all sorts of those things... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/24/60minutes/main3749494.shtml I thought it was interesting you referred to that statement by Dawkins. It didn’t make sense when I read it the first time and it still doesn’t. After all, the FBI DID interrogate him and ask him about all sorts of those things…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/2 4/60minutes/main3749494.shtml

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