Difference between revisions of "1734: Reductionism"
(→Explanation) |
(→Explanation) |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
[https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Reductionism Reductionism] is attempting to explain a complex topic using simple language or concepts. Here the meta joke is Randall is explaining the concept of Reductionism... by not explaining it at all, but rather explaining the origin of each individual letter of the WORD "Reductionism" (or at least the first three letters, the rest are cut off but we are to assume the definition were to continue until every letter were individually explained). | [https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Reductionism Reductionism] is attempting to explain a complex topic using simple language or concepts. Here the meta joke is Randall is explaining the concept of Reductionism... by not explaining it at all, but rather explaining the origin of each individual letter of the WORD "Reductionism" (or at least the first three letters, the rest are cut off but we are to assume the definition were to continue until every letter were individually explained). | ||
| − | Reductionism is an approach that seeks to understand the world by breaking problems into simpler pieces. That can disregard emergent properties. This comic takes a reductionist approach to understanding the word "reductionism" by giving history of each letter. | + | Reductionism is an approach that seeks to understand the world by breaking problems into simpler pieces. That can disregard emergent properties. This comic takes a reductionist approach to understanding the word "reductionism" by giving history of each letter, as if the word was nothing more than the "sum" of all its letters. |
| − | In the title text, the speaker tries to show they are not reductionist by saying they have never said a reductionist word; thus argument is self-defeating because reductionism is an emergent property of sentences, not a trait of single words. | + | In the title text, the speaker tries to show they are not reductionist by saying they have never said a reductionist word; thus argument is self-defeating because reductionism is an emergent property of sentences, not a trait of single words. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
Revision as of 14:17, 16 September 2016
| Reductionism |
 Title text: "I've noticed you physics people can be a little on the reductionist side." "That's ridiculous. Name ONE reductionist word I've ever said." |
Explanation
|
This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: This is a reductionist's explanation If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks. |
Reductionism is attempting to explain a complex topic using simple language or concepts. Here the meta joke is Randall is explaining the concept of Reductionism... by not explaining it at all, but rather explaining the origin of each individual letter of the WORD "Reductionism" (or at least the first three letters, the rest are cut off but we are to assume the definition were to continue until every letter were individually explained).
Reductionism is an approach that seeks to understand the world by breaking problems into simpler pieces. That can disregard emergent properties. This comic takes a reductionist approach to understanding the word "reductionism" by giving history of each letter, as if the word was nothing more than the "sum" of all its letters.
In the title text, the speaker tries to show they are not reductionist by saying they have never said a reductionist word; thus argument is self-defeating because reductionism is an emergent property of sentences, not a trait of single words.
Transcript
- REDUCTIONISM n.1."R" is a letter with
- origins in the egyptian hieroglyphics. "E"
- stands for a vowel sound normally
- represented by "I" until the 1500's. "D" is
- [Title text]
- "I've noticed you physics people can be a little on the reductionist side."
- "That's ridiculous. Name ONE reductionist word I've ever said."
add a comment! ⋅ add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ 
refresh comments!Discussion
Just like defining recursion by: "recursion n: see recursion" :-) --JakubNarebski (talk) 15:05, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
"D" is a development from an Egyptian hieroglyph symbolizing a door. "U" is Capncanuck (talk)
- "U" is what?! 108.162.212.92 03:48, 17 September 2016 (UTC)
- "U" is a dummy variable; "i" is an imaginary number. 108.162.218.215 11:30, 17 September 2016 (UTC)
I feel like part of the meta-joke is the fact that the box cuts off the definition, literally reducing it. 162.158.69.90 20:04, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
Yes, reductionism reducted, reductionised, and reduced... 108.162.249.156 00:40, 17 September 2016 (UTC)
Would the letter 'I' in reductIonIsm be described twice? - Sebastian --162.158.85.213 10:36, 17 September 2016 (UTC)
Well, this is probably the first time I've been on here and the Wednesday comic is up on Thursday, but the Friday comic is still on schedule. Weird. --JayRulesXKCD (talk) 15:11, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
- It was also the first time Randall delayed a comic to keep another comic on the front page. So since it was a planned delay of the previous comic this one was not supposed to be delayed. That would have been weird ;-) --Kynde (talk) 16:07, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
What amazed me in all this is that, every themes or words found on xkcd I've noticed that Reductionism adds to 174 in reverse ordinal and 143 in Jewish ordinal gematria little resemblance to 1743 -- Know More
