12.13 Bridge-Definitions


A single definition rarely works, because structural descriptions by themselves are too specific, and functional descriptions by themselves are too general. "But we can often capture an idea by squeezing in from several sides at once, to get exactly what we need by using two or more different kinds of descriptions at the same time. Our best ideas are often those that bridge between two different worlds!" Minsky is particularly keen on bridging structure and function; such bridges must be actively built during learning. "It helps to be given a good definition, but still you must mold and shape each new idea to suit your own exiting skills -- hoping to make it work for you the way it seems to work for those from whom you learn."

(NB: Minsky is quite explicit here, definitions being described as "networks of connections and constraints among our agencies." Agencies are playing a representational role, and connections among agents seem to be the source of uniframes. Furthermore, the bridging alluded to here strikes me much like the Piagetian notion of assimilation.)


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