fenway Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Then I think you misunderstand the role of theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebmigue Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Then I think you misunderstand the role of theory. Maybe, maybe not. Would you kindly tell us what is theory's role, then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenway Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Theory is a useful framework -- a very useful one -- but we need not look to it to solve each and every problem, nor as a pre-requisite to do so. Formalizing truths is all well and good -- but, in your own words, it's purely a formality, nothing more. It's a convenient package -- it makes really nice predictions about the future, is useful for comparing different, untestable outcomes, etc.. There is no need to re-discover these "truths" repeatedly -- sure, somehow had to discover them first, and that's great. But that's already happened. I don't need to recognize them to use them for practical purposes -- I can just figure it out and get it right anyway. It doesn't need to "make sense" at all. What's more, most theories evolved from heretics whose opponents stoned their because their theories didn't "make sense" -- Copernicus, Gallileo, etc. (stoned or stoning-equivalent) -- so just because it doesn't fit into an existing theory, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. Besides, empirical observations are the basis for every theory that exists (well, maybe not those crazy string theories, but theoretical physicists admit that they're making stuff up all of the time). That doesn't detract from the resultant theory, with all of its predictive eye-candy, but it also doesn't detract from the original observations, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebmigue Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I see. Good luck with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenway Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I've got 20+ years under my belt that says it has nothing to do with luck. And I'm ok with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebmigue Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I'm glad you are. At least you've got half of the whole DBMS history (40 years). And I think, 50% of those years you had not experienced (yet). So, there is still some doubt. Objectively speaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenway Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 To be clear: those 20+ years are *working* experience. Not that quantity counts, here -- I'm merely stating that I've been around the block enough times to know that there is truth to what I represent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebmigue Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I'm glad you are. At least you've got half of the whole DBMS history (40 years). And I think, 50% of those years you had not experienced as a professional(yet). So, there is still some doubt. Objectively speaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenway Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Again, anyone can choose whether to heed my advice or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebmigue Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 The same applies to everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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