Subject: Re: free software as a delivery vehicle for lisp
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.net>
Date: Sat, 06 Apr 2002 08:47:32 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <3227071669107989@naggum.net>

* Ed L Cashin <ecashin@uga.edu>
| Do you think it's possible to "stamp out stupidity"?

  Only the public acceptance of it.

| Destruction works on some things, but not on negatives, and I've always
| considered stupidity to be a lack.

  I consider it to be _allowed_, like laziness and obesity and bugs in
  software.

| If it's a lack, building up intelligence offers more promise.

  Well, the moral obligation to be intelligent must be asserted.  Thinking
  is hard and must be required, not just encouraged.  Less intelligent
  people can compensate by working harder on it or not engage themselves in
  tasks that require more than they can do.  In our zeal to be an inclusive
  society, massive amounts of stupidity is tolerated because it would be
  "unfair" to lots of people not to, and we cannot have anyone feeling
  stupid, can we?  Feeling stupid is just like nausea, massively annoying
  when it happens, but it has a cause, usually a very specific one, and can
  be cured.  _Fighting_ whatever causes either is about equally smart, and
  just leads to more of same, but finding out how to adapt reduces both.

///
-- 
  In a fight against something, the fight has value, victory has none.
  In a fight for something, the fight is a loss, victory merely relief.

  Post with compassion: http://home.chello.no/~xyzzy/kitten.jpg