[extropy-chat] Re:Just trying to figure it out

BillK pharos at gmail.com
Tue Dec 13 14:18:58 UTC 2005


On 12/13/05, The Avantguardian wrote:
>
> I for one don't care so much about norms as I do about
> honesty. I would rather you write your real opinion
> about something you know about (yoga perhaps?) instead
> of someone elses words cut and pasted without giving
> credit where it is due. Don't worry about trying to
> impress us, you're not going to. Even the geniuses on
> this list don't really impress anyone on it. I guess
> we are just an incredibly jaded bunch. But I want to
> know what YOU think not some college student trying to
> B.S. his way to a B.S.

In her original post last month she said that it wasn't her writing.
She said that she had found an article that she didn't understand and
wanted help with. Because it involved subjects that this list seemed
to discuss, she cut and pasted some sections, sent them to the list
and asked for explanations.

I agree that she should have given the address of the original report,
because her cutting and pasting might have changed the meaning and
context of the original document.


As an aside, why on earth does *anyone's* personal opinions matter in
the slightest? (Except to themselves, of course).

There are millions upon millions of books, articles, websites, blogs,
etc. out there. Anything I want to say has almost certainly been said
many times before, in many better ways, than the quick scribblings I
might send to a mail list.

The main benefit I see to mail lists is in drawing my attention to
ideas or points of view that I might not have thought about before.
And in my replies to posts I try to point out ideas that might be new
to previous posters. The self-aggrandising posing and 'win arguments
by any means possible' attitudes that are so common in all mail lists
are just a distraction. Though they can be amusing at times.  ;)

BillK



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