It didn’t deter me, but I didn’t get it until someone explained it just recently. For a while, I was just thinking “What’s that a map of? Is that where FHI is based? Is it the area in Santa Clara surrounding the SIAI House? Whatever it’s a map of, is is relevant enough to put it at the top of every page?” (Actual answer from a minute googling street names: it’s in San Francisco, but I don’t know if there’s any reason this particular location was chosen.)
O’course, even for those who get it, it may not be the best illustration of the map/territory distinction, because the lower half isn’t the territory either. It’s just a more detailed map than the top half. Ceci n’est pas le territoire!
Anyway, I doubt it will actively deter many people, but there are probably better possibilities.
Actually, regarding “Ceci n’est pas...”, The Treachery of Imagesis a pretty good illustration of the map/territory distinction. But it probably wouldn’t make a great masthead.
It didn’t deter me, but I didn’t get it until someone explained it just recently. For a while, I was just thinking “What’s that a map of? Is that where FHI is based? Is it the area in Santa Clara surrounding the SIAI House? Whatever it’s a map of, is is relevant enough to put it at the top of every page?” (Actual answer from a minute googling street names: it’s in San Francisco, but I don’t know if there’s any reason this particular location was chosen.)
O’course, even for those who get it, it may not be the best illustration of the map/territory distinction, because the lower half isn’t the territory either. It’s just a more detailed map than the top half. Ceci n’est pas le territoire!
Anyway, I doubt it will actively deter many people, but there are probably better possibilities.
Actually, regarding “Ceci n’est pas...”, The Treachery of Images is a pretty good illustration of the map/territory distinction. But it probably wouldn’t make a great masthead.