DN added a note on my recommendation about Douglas Hofstadter: "I know it not fair play to make unsupported affirmations. I have written on Hofstadter before (elsewhere), but unfortunately cannot abandon current tasks to dig for justification. For now let me say that I most strongly disagree with such a recommendation."
 
In another message DN wrote: "I trust that by now you've seen my explanation of that passage from Nabokov''s Butterflies, as well as echoes of recognition from other quarters."
 
Dear Dmitri,
Your are right, my arguments were rather unsubstantiated since, unfortunately, I don't have Douglas H. book by me to re-read certain arguments in favor of the hypothesis that intuitions and insights may be expressed through different means by different people and leading to similar "effects". I lack the necessary mathematical and philosophical skills to counter your "strong disagreement". 
All arguments inspired in Douglas Hofstadter were unnecessary since my intention was simple: I wanted to argue against the idea I got from MR's postings that from "counterpoint" we could only advance from "Gradus Ad Parnassum" to "Gradus Ad Arcadia", by the recognition of its musical texture. Plain common-sense will do. 
 
[ Whenever I remember it, I try to write down "Douglas" while referring to him since there is another D. Hofstadter ( Dan) who wrote an interesting book about famous love letters  ( Georges Sand, A. Musset, Chateaubriand, Mme. Récamier..].
 
Thank you for the special note on "Father's Butterflies", which I haven't yet been able to read. The poetic transition from wind-animated vegetable to the realm of animal life by the stabilizing force of Nature was very moving and the underlying concepts new to me. 
Jansy
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: NABOKV-L
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 2:05 PM
Subject: [NABOKV-L] DN to JM on Father's Butterflies

Dear Jansy,

 

I trust that by now you've seen my explanation of that passage from

Nabokov''s Butterflies, as well as echoes of recognition from other

quarters.

 

Dmitri

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