Are you sure you don't want a response from me? Are you trying to put Alan in a petri dish? -David Leibs
On Dec 29, 2012, at 3:23 PM, John Pratt <[email protected]> wrote: > > I want a response from Alan Kay on this thread. Then I will leave you all > alone. > > > > On Dec 29, 2012, at 3:16 PM, David Harris wrote: > >> What are you on about? How is this related to FONC? >> >> David >> >> >> >> On Sat, Dec 29, 2012 at 3:10 PM, John Pratt <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> What sickness science brings to everyday people! They cannot even believe >> in mysterious things, such as the divine, without first thinking it has to >> show up on a laboratory microscope. >> >> The petri dish has to exist before the thing will be acknowledged as fitting >> inside a petri dish. >> >> "We don't have a petri dish for that. It cannot exist. I cannot study it >> inside of its petri dish." >> >> "Tell me where its petri dish is first, then I will believe you and we will >> go study it." >> >> Mystical things of the past are regarded as superstition, described in terms >> of theoretical, mechanical concepts. Automobiles, air planes, and light >> rail trains are the indicators of supreme accomplishments given to man by >> this modern science. >> >> Computers, electronics are never questioned for what they are underneath-- a >> huge mess of chemical circuits. Contemptible expediency in its approach to >> making its own version of warped plastic and silicon clockwork. >> >> Cram as much as you invent into the smallest space possible, sheath it with >> cosmetic jewelry cases, and sell it to the world, telling the world it is >> pure jewelry, inside and out. When it happens to hit the floor, the lie is >> exposed-- a mess of soldering, wires, and toxic chemicals. >> >> Dazzling athletics, to cram this inelegant approach to match the world's >> demand for novelty and excitement. >> >> Pack it all into a tiny package. Call it sheer wizardry and a triumph of >> modern science. Its engineers confounded by accusations of philistine >> circuitry-- "engineering, math, and science works! our engineering campus >> buildings are not ugly-- they are utilitarian! I like math and was good at >> it in high school." >> >> If the shoe fits, wear it regardless of whether the shoe is distasteful in >> appearance on the outside. Make a distasteful shoe, cover it up with a >> cosmetic shell. Where there is a problem, an engineer will solve it. Make >> sure that you don't need a solution you want to know about, however. Just >> be content that a problem was solved and look the other way when the details >> are explained of its operation. >> >> "That'll do the trick." >> >> I didn't like parabolas because the world cannot be reduced to two, three, >> or four axes, thank you very much. >> >> I don't like polynomials because I want to draw the line before I call it a >> function of the world, saying that the world consists only of deterministic, >> reductionist functions. "Oh, then you are just tired of 'discreteness' and >> you need its polar opposite of discreteness, non-discreteness." >> >> Such is mathematics and science today. "Why does no one want to learn math >> and science anymore??" >> >> _______________________________________________ >> fonc mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> fonc mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc > > _______________________________________________ > fonc mailing list > [email protected] > http://vpri.org/mailman/listinfo/fonc
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