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George A. Miller
(3 Feb 1920 - 22 Jul 2012)
American psychologist who oversaw the development of WordNet, a lexical database for the English language.
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Science Quotes by George A. Miller (2 quotes)
Every word carries its own surprises and offers its own rewards to the reflective mind. Their amazing variety is a constant delight. I do not believe that I am alone in this—a fascination with words is shared by people in all countries and all walks of life.
— George A. Miller
The Science of Words (1991), preface, vii.
What about the magical number seven? What about the seven wonders of the world, the seven seas, the seven deadly sins, the seven daughters of Atlas in the Pleiades, the seven ages of man, the seven levels of hell, the seven primary colors, the seven notes of the musical scale, and the seven days of the week? What about the seven-point rating scale, the seven categories for absolute judgment, the seven objects in the span of attention, and the seven digits in the span of immediate memory? For the present I propose to withhold judgment. Perhaps there is something deep and profound behind all these sevens, something just calling out for us to discover it. But I suspect that it is only a pernicious, Pythagorean coincidence.
— George A. Miller
The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two (1956), 42-3.
See also:
- 3 Feb - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Miller's birth.
- Language and Speech, by George A. Miller. - book suggestion.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
