Re: feedback and sharing knowledge

From: Joao Pedro (jpnitya@mail.esoterica.pt)
Date: Sat Sep 27 1997 - 01:04:36 MDT


Hi!

Geoff Smith wrote:
> > Like I mentioned before, I know the meaning of the word but I couldn't
> > find an appropriate application for it in economy, in the context of our
> > argument, in explaining to me the author's (EvMich) point of view. Like
> > I said a thousand times, I don't know nothing of economics
>
> or english grammar ;)

Why do you say that? Most people I met in the Internet say I have an
excellent English. Even when I go abroad and have to speak English,
no-one has ever said I had a bad knowledge of the English language,
you're the first and I would like to know why.

> > Even more time-taking
> > questions, do you think I just say that people who ask me these
> > questions are ignorant and shouldn't even deserve to be by my side?
>
> Of course they're ignorant! They're ignorant of the A chord. As for not
> deserving to be by your side, who, exactly, said that??? I think I may
> have missed that post.

No-on said that, I was asking a rhetorical question to serve as an
example of the attitude some people presented when I asked my questions.

> > Of
> > course not, I would like more and more persons to learn guitar and since
> > I love it, I teach anyone who asks me to, within the limits of my
> > knowledge, even that I have to give the same answer 10, 20, 100, 500
> > times.
>
> What if you are asked this question so many times, it begins to detract
> from your aging research? Then, would you be so altruistic?

It is just not being altruistic. A better example is my aging research,
the more people I can teach about aging, the more people will be
interested and start researching and the more people would try to solve
the aging problem. The more people try to solve the aging problem, the
quicker will it be solve, the better for all of us, including myself.
Answering your question, if someone woke me up to ask me how to play a B
chord, I would be upset because that persons disturbed my sleep.
Obviously I mention asking questions within the limits of reasonable,
the extreme case you are proposing is almost impossible of happening.

> > Now, do you think that you spread the extropian movement by sitting
> > around thinking: - I'm very smart, the others are ignorants and only
> > when they, by their own means, know as much as I, will I then see them
> > as my fellows.
>
> hmmm... I must have missed a lot of the posts. When was all this said?
> Is it possible you're reading a little to much into people's suggestion :
> "Go read a book."?

Like I said before, it is an example of the kind of attitude some people
expressed, this wasn't said by anyone.

> > Instead of being a small group of which no-one (at least in Portugal)
> > has ever heard of, and taking 20, 50, 100 or 500 years to develop
> > nanotech and life extension, if others would support "our" (this is a
> > "our" between commas because I don't agree with all your principles)
> > cause this objectives would much soon be achieved.
>
> True, but this should be achieved without coercion. I take responsibility
> for my own education- I don't expect others to be there to answer my
> questions when the answers are at my local library. Once I have this
> information, I can make an informed debate, and decide for myself the
> validity of this information.

That is why most persons never heard of extropianism. Do you think that
is a good thing?
All I'm trying to say is that I disagree with this kind of attitudes and
I think that trying to convert persons to "our" cause is a good thing
that should be pursued. It takes work, of course, but it is, IMHO, the
right decision. The rules of the list are clear, the list doesn't exist
to make converts, I respect that although I disagree.

> If I told you "the A chord isn't actually an A, it's a B flat", you would
> say I'm wrong. What if I replied: "I don't believe you, but I don't want
> to read any books on subject... maybe I will eventually get around to it.
> In the mean time, I don't believe you. It's obvious that the A chord is
> actually B flat, I don't understand how you can even begin to think it's
> not." Wouldn't that make you a little frustrated? (come on, be honest ;)

Yes but if you ask 100 guitar player what is an A chord, they will ALL
give you the same answer. However, if you ask 100 economists if
free-markets are the best solutions, they won't give you the same
answer. Free-markets is not (at least for many people) the best
solution, it's not the ultimate truth. An A chord is always an A chord
and if anyone disagrees on that he is immediately wrong, if someone
disagrees with free-markets he is not necessarily wrong.

-- 
         Hasta la vista...
"Life's too short to cry, long enough to try." - Kai Hansen
Reason's Triumph at: http://homepage.esoterica.pt/~jpnitya/


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