I wish to acknowledge the mentorship of Bruce Aune, without which this project could never have been completed. While we have differences, I have felt a kinship to his brand of philosophy. Bruce's many hours of patient discussion have guided me to where I am now. I wish also to thank Gareth Matthews, Gary Hardegree, and Emmon Bach for their assistance and patience in the development of this work.
I am also indebted to A. E. Van Vogt, whose novel The World of Null-A first introduced me to general semantics and Alfred Korzybski. It was through the medium of Korzybskian general semantics and its emphasis on Karl Popper that I became intensely interested in the philosophy of science and philosophy in general.
I wish also to acknowledge the influence of the writings of Russell Ackoff, Nina Bull, Patricia Churchland, Fred Dretske, Fred Emery, Douglas Hoffstadter, Thomas Kuhn, Jean Piaget, Karl Popper, and Karl Pribram, all of whom have contributed significantly to my present view.
Finally, I wish to thank Virginia Sturtevant for her effort in editing this document and her patience with me through the development of this dissertation.