With so many people glued to their machines today thinking and all the
subsequent Percy-L activity, I feel more than inclined to second Marcus'
motion for more Thirdness. So, I've cranked up another "thinking machine"
opportunity that may be a most appropriate context for continued
speculation, namely that of the Percy Project chat areas.
I'm headed there myself right now (5:19 pm CST) if there is anyone who
wants to discourse on the matter with me, and the chat and posting board
area should be up most of the weekend if you want to stop by later.
Listmember Renee Monrose has also graciously offered to lead a discussion
on Flannery O'Connor and WP, and more info about that will be coming to you
soon about that opportunity.
To get to the Percy Project chat rooms, just point your webbrowser to:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/wpercy/interact.html
and follow the links.
Henry Mills
>A brief reply to the issue of the subject heading and the Deep Blue v.
>Kasparov story.
>
>Percy, I think, would bring into play the Peircean categories of
>Secondness (a binary sign system, which Deep Blue arguably possesses) and
>Thirdness (a three-way structure of understanding with an essential human
>in the loop: Kasparov). In a limited and highly structured logical system
>such as chess (despite its many possibilities), Secondness might be more
>semitotically efficient than Thirdness. But Secondness can never acquire
>Thirdness, as I understand thing. There are probably people on this list
>who can articulate this much better than I, and I invite them in.
>
>Amateurishly,
>
>Marcus Smith
>Department of English
>Loyola University
>New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
>Office: 504-865-2481; Fax 504-866-1966