[From Kenny Kitzke (2009.04.27)]
Words and their meaning surely get in the way of communication and understanding. When communicating with a certain audience, it is necessary to use words they generally understand.
For a general audience, I rely on dictionary meanings. If you look up every word I used in my definition, I hope that its meaning would be generally understood within the context of the sentence.
I am educated as an engineer and English is not an area of knowledge strength. I do suspect that the words “own best interest” can be quite abstract. But, I think that is what I want to communicate. It’s something conceived in a person’s mind and quite difficult for anyone else to determine.
Despite your attempts to be precise in PCT speak, it still seems next to impossible to agree on what precisely an “input function” is or even what “behavior” is. The lengthy debate on the what information is, or information theory, was not very helpful for me.
I totally agree with the points you (and Fred) make about “best interest.” You know that my wife followed PCT for some time. I remember complete disagreement about why she sends a Mother’s Day card to her mother. I would say because you wanted to do that (made her feel like a loving daughter). She would say no, I did it to let my mother know I love her. I see that as a perception level issue where both are true. But, to try to explain it, you have to agree on what levels of perception are. And, that is just theory.
Oh, I am on my way to Idaho on business. I will have to turn my attention to controlling other variables the rest of the week.
Always good to get your perception of how behavior works in people.
Kenny
In a message dated 4/27/2009 9:46:18 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, powers_w@FRONTIER.NET writes:
···
KK: After reading B: CP (at least the easier parts), the first time I met you I tried to state what I thought PCT revealed about people and their behavior. It went something like this:
*** People continuously act in what they believe to be their own best interest.***
[From Bill Powers (2009.04.27.0731 MDT)]
Kenny Kitzke (2009.04.26)] –
OK, that’s a start. The object now, however, isn’t to be a brief as possible, but to explain PCT to someone without relying on words that everybody is just supposed to understand ( like “best interest”). For example, how would you explain what we mean by “act” without using that word? You don’t necessarily have to think up formal definitions; defining by context or analogy is better than no definition at all. But you have to watch out for relying on nothing but other undefined abstract terms.
As to “best interest,” that could be part of it if you say what you mean by that. For example it might be in your own best interest to donate money for the education of poor people, if you have enough money to be giving it away. Why? Because you have a choice of living with well-educated people earning their own livings or ignorant poor people you will have to take care of (or kill). That brings in system concepts and principles, and the idea of using one level to control another level, without using those words.
Best,
Bill P.
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