[opdirorg]

All: I'm confused. I'm going to throw some things out their this thread seems to relate to not to impose them on the discussion but to aid im my grasping of the issue(s).

It seems to relate to: the profane/ordinary versus sacred in comparative religion studies; and to the epistemological distinctions not only between induction and deduction but also denotation and connotation. To define a tree, for instance, by denotation, simply requires pointing to a tree (denote means "to point to"). To define a tree, by connotation, however, requires asking what is it that all trees have in common? Or, put in terms of induction and deduction, a particular tree is an instance or sub-class (inductive understanding) of the general class (deductive understanding) "tree."

Speak, brothers & sisters. I await your insights.