FOM: total repudiation of McLarty

Stephen G Simpson simpson at math.psu.edu
Wed Feb 25 15:05:09 EST 1998


Speaking of "categorical foundations", Colin McLarty 20 Feb 1998
13:10:15 writes:

 > The features it relies on are the focus of most practical work with
 > Abelian groups. So I claim it is "foundational" in just the sense
 > Steve Simpson has posted.

Once again McLarty is inexplicably citing me in order to buttress his
absurd claims about the alleged virtue of "categorical foundations".
Isn't it clear by now that such citations are completely
inappropriate?  

Once and for all, let me try to make my position absolutely clear:
McLarty has not understand *one single word* of *anything* I have
written on the FOM list.  He doesn't have the slightest clue of what I
mean by "f.o.m." or "foundational" or "foundations" or "basic
mathematical concepts" or "general intellectual interest" or anything
else.  My ideas about f.o.m. have not been grasped and will never be
grasped by McLarty's mind.

Is that clear enough?

In case it isn't clear enough, let me try to make it even clearer: I
totally repudiate every syllable of every word of every subclaim of
every claim that McLarty has ever made about what he is pleased to
call "categorical foundations".  My view is that "categorical
foundations" is a sham, false, misleading, etc etc.  When forced to
discuss it, I refer to it as categorical mis-foundations, categorical
dys-foundations, categorical non-foundations, etc.

For more details of my total and absolute repudiation of McLarty, see
my postings of 11 Jan 1998 20:15:28 and 16 Jan 1998 13:37:43 and 17
Jan 1998 15:33:06 on the list 2 fallacy, and of 12 Jan 1998 23:11:59
on the objectivity of general intellectual interest and the sex life
of termites.

I would appreciate it if McLarty would promise never again to try to
exploit me by inappropriately citing me in support of his false,
misleading, totally unjustified claims concerning categorical
dys-foundations.  Now that McLarty knows my opinion of his views, I
think it would be dishonest of McLarty to cite me in support of them.
If McLarty wants to peddle "categorical foundations", he will have to
do so without my endorsement.

Have a nice day, Colin!

:-)

-- Steve





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