On Tue, 30 Apr 2002, Lex Spoon wrote:
"Mark S. Miller" markm@caplet.com wrote:
Note that this logic places much higher value on drawing a clear line and sticking with it than it does on getting the line right. Just like we draw a line on "adult" at 18. It's clearly arbitrary, but an arbitrary simple stable line is better than the mess that would result from trying to be more accurate.
This is a great example. In common parlance, "adult" is broader than "at least 18".
[snip]
Another wonderful example is "dead" (and "time of death"). Putting aside revivability issues for a moment, it's pretty clear that dying is a continuous process, thus the "moment" of death is a useful fiction. The key to that fiction is that you are on the *correct* side of the fuzzy line :)
Cheers, Bijan Parsia.