Definition of "telecommunications"

[Ross Johnson]

On Mon, 16 Jun 1997, John julian wrote:

> Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> >
> >Stewart, you surprise me.
> >
> >If I ask a friend to pass on a message to my sister the next time she sees
> >her in Manchester, is that not communicating over distance? Is that
> >telecommunications, in the sense meant?
> >
> >There will always be problems with definitions as long as they involve
> >words. Everything is relative and circular. That doesn't mean we cannot
> >agree on something, as long as it is not cast in stone and made absolute. A
> >shared understanding is more important than the words used.
> >
> 
> 
> It's a hoary old problem in concept learning.
> 
> I think it was the Polish philosopher Tadeusz Kotarbinski who said:
> 
> "You don't have to be able to define a sparrow to recognise one."
> 

But if I say I saw a sparrow and you say it must have been a parrot, then
we need a definition.

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