It’s common for people to use a term they think is straightforward (dependence) but it’s not. They make arguments and decisions that hinge on this term. This ar

It’s common for people to use a term they think is straightforward (dependence) but it’s not. They make arguments and decisions that hinge on this term. This article is showing how “dependence” is three major things that can each be broken down even more. This teasing apart can be really useful. Sometimes you end up debating “should A depend on B”, but then it’s “does A depend on B” and all the way to “this is what dependency means / means to me”. That last step is a terrible way out of the argument. A better thing is something like “we’ll call your dependency definition type 1 and mine type 2” and you realize there’s more common ground than you had before, the disagreement quite narrow. Maybe the disagreement even becomes a matter of fact and you can go find out! I find having a concept already broken down by someone else to help this process.