On the distinction between distinction and division

Technoetic Arts 13 (3):245-251 (2015)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In this article I discuss the use of distinctions as a method for reasoning. First I trace the role of distinctions in three different theories: the formal calculus of George Spencer Brown, the constructivist biology of Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela, and Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems. In the second part, play is used as an example to illustrate the concept. In particular, I contrast walking through a series of distinctions with traditional ways of argumentation based on definitions. Finally, I hint at the role of distinctions in a metaphysical sense.

Categories

Add categories

Keywords

Reprint years

DOI

10.1386/tear.13.3.245_1

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 91,846

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

My notes

Similar books and articles

A Primer on the distinction between justification and excuse.Andrew Botterell - 2009 - Philosophy Compass 4 (1):172-196.
The particular–universal distinction: A dogma of metaphysics?Fraser MacBride - 2005 - Mind 114 (455):565-614.
The uses and abuses of the personal/subpersonal distinction.Zoe Drayson - 2012 - Philosophical Perspectives 26 (1):1-18.
Contextualism and the use-mention distinction.Štefan Riegelnik - 2011 - Lodz Papers in Pragmatics 7 (2):281-290.
Uses of the Person-Nature Distinction in Thomas's Christology.Michael Gorman - 2000 - Recherches de Theologie Et Philosophie Medievales 67 (1):58-79.
The Personal/Subpersonal Distinction.Zoe Drayson - 2014 - Philosophy Compass 9 (5):338-346.
Where are particulars and universals?Fraser MacBride - 1998 - Dialectica 52 (3):203–227.
Relevance Theory and the Saying/Implicating Distinction.Robyn Carston - 2004 - In . pp. 155--181.
The teleological/deontological distinction.Peter Vallentyne - 1987 - Journal of Value Inquiry 21 (1):21-32.
Descartes's conceptual distinction and its ontological import.Justin Skirry - 2004 - Journal of the History of Philosophy 42 (2):121-144.
Scotus’s Interpretation of Metaphysics 9.2.Cruz González-Ayesta - 2007 - Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 81:217-230.
The underdetermination/indeterminacy distinction and the analytic/synthetic distinction.A. W. Moore - 1997 - Erkenntnis 46 (1):5-32.
Plantinga on the De Dicto/De Re Distinction.Michael Wreen - 1986 - Grazer Philosophische Studien 27 (1):49-55.
The Fragmentation of Reasoning.Peter Carruthers - unknown
From inventories to computations: Open /closed class items and substantive /functional heads.Luigi Rizzi - 2004 - Dialectica 58 (3):437–451.

Analytics

Added to PP
2016-02-03

Downloads
14 (#989,410)

6 months
1 (#1,469,946)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

Playing with/as Systems: Short Paper, Discussion and Demonstration.Michael Straeubig - 2017 - Avant: Trends in Interdisciplinary Studies 8 (T):197-203.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references