Re: Mini book review on cultural ecology (was: what exactly do anthropologists do?)

Cameron Laird (claird@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM)
4 Aug 1995 13:26:47 -0500

In article <3veelp$9ek@shell1.best.com>,
Todd Michel McComb <mccomb@best.com> wrote:
>In article <3ve4kv$ikj@CUBoulder.Colorado.EDU>,
>Cameron Laird <claird@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM> wrote:
>>In this case, Wesley explains how far-from-equilibrium systems
>>generate order in maximally dissipating essergy. Nobel Prize-winner
>>Ilya Prigogine has been trying to explain the same thing in his
>>books for over half a century now, but the reality is that most
>>people understand him only second-hand, through the interpretations
>>of one of his followers.
>
>That would be Nicolis, of course. And here we have actually entered
.
.
.
What characterizes the best NetNews writing? Along
with the conventional virtues--a lucid, graceful
style, concision, ...---specificity and concreteness
are at a particular premium in Usenet; at least, I
have a theory that leads me to believe that. Todd's
first sentence demonstrates how badly my article
failed on that point: not only did I fail to make
explicit that it's been Nicolis who has brought Prigo-
gine to the masses, but I can't remember now whether,
when I wrote this, I had in mind him (Nicolis), or
Stengers! Ouch; sorry, folks.

-- 

Cameron Laird http://starbase.neosoft.com/~claird/home.html
claird@Neosoft.com +1 713 267 7966
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