In a message dated 98-04-17 03:33:27 EDT, you write: << I know absolutely nothing about Chomsky but perhaps one could say that a sense perception is not *quite* the same thing as an idea. Is it possible that the idea of brownness as something shared by various items in the real world needs a word to embody it ? Scottie B. >> This is where you are truly missing out by not being American, Scottie. Chomsky is reknown both as an innovative linguist and as a wacky leftist political theorist. He is on faculty at MIT and every few years one of the daily papers here seeks him out so he can rail against the system, and complain that no one will publish his political books. His linguistic books are quite well respected. I once attended a political fund raiser for some local political hack where Chomsky's name was on the guest list. This was an amazing irony as far as I was concerned. I signed in as Chomsky and wore his name tag for the evening. No one associated with the candidate was aware of what I was doing, and the guests who were aware weren't amused. I do share the same wacky politics as Chomsky, but I was at this event solely for the rare opportunity for rabble like myself to cop a meal at the Harvard Club. It's good to see old Noam's name crop on our humble list here. it's like talking to any cafe dweller in Cambridge, if you wait long enough Chomsky's will come up as a topic. Best, Robert