Regarding your point numbered 1 specifically: the causal history of matter is considered here as part of its physical properties in a block universe, so this objection doesn’t apply. See the older sequence article Timeless Physics for more on this.
Regarding points 2 and 3: The OP is saying that for something to be an apple means that its low-level physical state matches some pattern, but not necessarily that the pattern matching function must return a strict True or False; there are fuzzy pattern matching functions as well. The older sequence article Similarity Clusters goes into this in more detail.
On the other hand, your objections are totally legit within the context of this article and its examples alone, and as an introductory article that’s a fine and appropriate context to be working from. Maybe the article would be improved by some footnotes and/or appropriate links? Then again, it’s already pretty long.
On the other other hand, as an introductory article its purpose is only to introduce what reductionism is and get people to grips with the notion of different levels of abstraction. If philosophical arguments are being made about e.g. what is “real”, or more subtly about what makes for an appropriate definition of a word like “apple”, then they aren’t being made here, but in the articles that depend on this one. “Lying to children” and all that.
Regarding your point numbered 1 specifically: the causal history of matter is considered here as part of its physical properties in a block universe, so this objection doesn’t apply. See the older sequence article Timeless Physics for more on this.
Regarding points 2 and 3: The OP is saying that for something to be an apple means that its low-level physical state matches some pattern, but not necessarily that the pattern matching function must return a strict True or False; there are fuzzy pattern matching functions as well. The older sequence article Similarity Clusters goes into this in more detail.
On the other hand, your objections are totally legit within the context of this article and its examples alone, and as an introductory article that’s a fine and appropriate context to be working from. Maybe the article would be improved by some footnotes and/or appropriate links? Then again, it’s already pretty long.
On the other other hand, as an introductory article its purpose is only to introduce what reductionism is and get people to grips with the notion of different levels of abstraction. If philosophical arguments are being made about e.g. what is “real”, or more subtly about what makes for an appropriate definition of a word like “apple”, then they aren’t being made here, but in the articles that depend on this one. “Lying to children” and all that.