Concrete (noun) — the solid composition of cement et al. that we use to build our skyscrapers.
Concrete (adjective) — something material; existing; real.
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Both are the same definition in image: strong, supportive, reliable, real.
Concrete (n.) is made of rocks. Rocks come from the ground, you can go outside and pick them up, they’re real.
Harder to pick up, but so is silicon, so is gold, so is an electron: my computer is as real as the concrete. Would you describe my computer as ‘concrete’?
Then the adjective means something different — something more natural, or something stronger than a computer.
The two blend together but I’ve tried to find the borders.
What stronger really means: something that is immutable to us. Concrete that you walk on to get to the corner store is no less man-made than your computer — but it is a lot harder for you to break it.
What natural really means: things we don’t know that we don’t understand.
You know you don’t understand how a computer works (that makes it unnatural) but you don’t know that you don’t understand how rocks works — you’ve never asked the question — a rock is self-evident, a rock is natural.
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This all may seem review but make sure you understand the distinction: concrete is made by man, which means your ‘concrete ideas’ rely upon man creating them. If man creates something, it is unnatural and may not necessarily be existing in reality.
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Are your ideas natural or unnatural — without language or priors, could they be arrived to — or do you have to be explicit in how and when to apply your theory to the real-world?
Do you have to mix the rocks before you get to your concrete?
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