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