'It is impossible to determine or express the quantity of what one does not know.'
[ support:38% : certainty:26 ] · [12 replies] ·
[1 comment]
-
support 80% · Let's use a database as an examplemoderated to 0%; argued down by 0%
by deathcloset on 2005-01-21 23:31:26Lets say you have a database which lists customer names. It is possible to ask the database, what are the names of all my customers in the database. It is impossible to ask the database, what are the names of all my customers who are NOT in the database. -
oppose 0% · Re: Let\\\'s use a database as an examplemoderated to 0%; argued down by 0%
by anonymous on 2005-01-22 00:02:04But you can consult another all-encompassing database and compare the lists, and modify the original database accordingly To the original question: all it says is if an unknown quantity can be determined. You already proved as much by stating your database was incomplete (you knew that you did not know). Inasmuch as there is an awareness of not knowing (you knew your database did not include non-customers), there is an opportunity to correct this (i.e.- make the unknown quantity known). Knowing that you do not know is knowledge in itself. Too much recursive reasoning, now my head hurts.
summary
title: 'Re: Let\\\'s use a database as an example'
text: 'But you can consult another all-encompassing database and compare the lists, and modify the original database accordingly To the original question: all it says is if an unknown quantity can be determined. You already proved as much by stating your database was incomplete (you knew that you did not know). Inasmuch as there is an awareness of not knowing (you knew your database did not include non-customers), there is an opportunity to correct this (i.e.- make the unknown quantity known). Knowing that you do not know is knowledge in itself. Too much recursive reasoning, now my head hurts.'
tags:
date: 2005-01-22 00:02:04
submitter: anonymous
effective: 0
support: 0
oppose: 0
stancePos: 0
stanceNeg: 0
stanceEffective:
repliesSupport: 0
repliesOppose: 0
repliesTotal: 0
comments: 0
Powered by Debatepoint.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.