JSG Boggs: Abstractions – Something or Not
on Friday, May 8, 2015JSG Boggs Money Quotation saying Boggs Bills are an abstraction asking questions about ‘real’ money, another abstraction. JSG Boggs said:
“When you are dealing with an abstraction, the borderline between something and nothing is very subtle” — JSG Boggs
This quote from J.S.G. Boggs suggests that with abstract concepts and ideas, the distinction between what something is and what it is not can be quite nuanced and blurred. The best interpretation is that when dealing with notions that are intangible or not concretely defined, like the nature of value, meaning or identity, it becomes difficult to clearly delineate where the boundaries lie.
Boggs sees money itself as a kind of abstraction – something that only has worth based on collective belief rather than intrinsic properties. So in this quote, he appears to be commenting on how analyzing such abstract systems and symbols involves exploring subtle gradients and ambiguities rather than sharp divisions.
The border between essence and non-essence is “very subtle” when examining intangible ideas and representations according to Boggs’ perspective.
Birthday: January 16, 1955 – Death: January 22, 2017