Re: Algebra OK Euclidean geometry not OK

In article <cnelson9-F34E07.00560820052006@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Clifford Nelson <cnelson9@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Our formal education in Euclidean geometry was started later (too late?)
in our lives than Bucky¹s four year old start with semi-dried peas and
toothpicks in kindergrarten. Bucky Fuller said algebra¹s O.K., but,
Euclidean geometry is not O.K..

Here are some quotes to back that up from Synergetics.

I haven't found anyone who can understand these quotes. It's as if their
eyes glaze over when they speed read it. Every beginning geometry text
book would be changed if everyone understood it because it is almost
impossible to disagree with the gist of it.

986.030 Abstraction
986.031 The scientic generalized eternal principle of leverage can be
experientially demonstrated, and its rate of lifting-advantage-gain per
each additional modular increment of lifting-arm length can be
mathematically expressed to cover any and all special case temporal
realizations of the leverage principle. Biological species can be
likewise generalizingly dened. So in many ways humanity has been able to
sort out its experiences and identify various prominent sets and subsets
of interrelationship principles. The special- case ³oriole on the branch
of that tree over there,² the set of all the orioles, the class of all
birds, the class of all somethings, the class of all anythings__any one
of which anythings is known as X . . . that life¹s experiences lead to
the common discovery of readily recognized, differentiated, and
remembered generalizable sets of constantly manifest residual
interrelationship principles__swiftly persuaded mathematical thinkers to
adopt the symbolism of algebra, whose known and unknown components and
their relationships could be identied by conveniently chosen empty-set
symbols. The intellectuals call this abstraction.
Yipes. Yipes. Yipes.

The *only* justification for this kind of writing would be to set it to
a patter song by Gilbert and Sullivan.

--
Chris Henrich
http://www.mathinteract.com
If there was any power in demonology, then it lay with the demons. Using it for
your own purposes would be like trying to beat mice to death with a
rattlesnake. -- Terry Pratchett (_Eric_)
.