++> Mark Bloss wrote to David Martorana on "Perfection"
 
 MB>> Perfection is an infinity.  No one attains it, but it must be
 MB>> there or else we cannot come closer to it.
 
 DM>> It is achieved all the time. It only becomes infinite if the
 DM>> design goal is unknown which is unreasonable.
 
 MB> You have made some good points, and your argument holds water.  Except,
 MB> my imperfections have limited my initial response to that of mush, my
 MB> point is still clear enough to drive home a clearer response.
 
 ..."my perfections" ..."your perfections" ...No Webster perfections!
 
 MB> Certainly a simple machine which counts to three because it is designed
 MB> to count to three, is said to be perfect.  However, this application of
 MB> the term "perfect" is completely inappropriate.
 
 ................inappropriate ??? Mmmmmmmmmmm!
 
 MB> The proper term to give such a manufactured device, is "sufficient", or
 MB> "satisfactory"; because it cannot be perfect.
 MB> It can count to three in Base 10, indeed a lot
 MB> of bases.  But, it is limited by its design, and unable to count to
 MB> three, in Base 2, for example.
 
 MB> Any manufactured device, in order to be perfect, must not only
 MB> exceed its design limits, it must exceed all the design limits
 MB> of every single design limit applied to every other machine ever
 MB> designed.  _That_ would be perfect.  It would be God, then, and
 MB> not a designed machine.
 
  You carry the term into religion and therefore leave me outside your
  gates of understanding (not entirely fair, but I think I understand).
 
  What is "perfection" ?  Certainly not applicable, except in the
 MB> colloquial, to manufactured devices, or measurements.
 
 MB> But are we using a system of measurement that is perfect?  Not by far,
 MB> since it is also manufactured.  There is only one definition of
 MB> perfection to be applied - when calling it an infinity:
 MB> That which knows all things.
 
   When we arbitrarily bend one thing into something else (a fever is an
   infinity), minds must be bent to appreciate it ...if fever knows all
   things we can never get enough fever! mmmmm?
 
 MB> Not one of us can know everything:  but all of us _together_ know many
 MB> things.  A good synonym for Perfection is The Sum of Potential 
nowledge.
 MB> Things which none of us know yet: what is the nature of reality, for
 MB> example.  Can we know the nature of reality?  If so, then this is
 MB> potential knowledge: the "as-yet-unknown".  If it becomes known, there
 MB> will unquestionably be something else as-yet-unknown, thus acting
 MB> precisely like an infinity!  We can never know everything, even 
ogether!
 MB> There will always be an "as-yet-unknown" about something, just as there
 MB> is always the ability to add 1, to any number.  Using an incongruity,
 MB> such as "sum of potential knowledge", is convenient - but non-sequitar -
 MB> because the "sum" itself is an infinity.
 
  Once again you have overwhelmed and disarmed my "street understandings".
 
    Some in a poetry of contrived samples, you manage to lift "perfection"
    right out of reality! Had my "thing" been more than just a simple
    machine it could still never qualify as perfect because you always call
    for a design modification at the last moment to render it imperfect.
    If YOU won't or cannot define the specific "perfection" within our
    understanding it, then it becomes a meaningless term. Using your
    cascading irrational logic, your God is not even perfect (unless by
    VERY arbitrary definition, which you do not allow me).
 
    Like Frank's private definitions, I'll have to learn new and eclectic
    Bloss definitions. Not so bad as I'm near a point where I will no
    longer need a dictionary. It does make any pretense of understanding
    ever so much more "flexible" ...yes PHIL becomes ever more a freedom
    from the English language!
    The great treasury of the powerful mind is an ability to win ...even
    if/when a little bit wrong-
 
                             @@ ... Dave
 
 
 
 
 
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