Re: Dyson (Was: Paths to Uploading)

Lee Daniel Crocker (lcrocker@mercury.colossus.net)
Thu, 7 Jan 1999 15:46:29 -0800 (PST)

> > If he's a socialist/collectivist, I'd have to take anything he says
> > with a HUGE grain of salt. Looters aren't to be trusted, ya know.
>
> Imagine Albert Einstein breaking a store window and grabbing the
> merchandise, running away with a boom box on his shoulder, his wispy
> white hair flying in all directions as the German physicist anxiously
> looks back over his shoulder for pursuing cops.
> That's the kind of morals and ethics he had, right, Terry?

Well, if one is to be consistent in applying moral judgment to everyone, then yes, those were his morals. That he chose to steal with votes rather than a mask and gun is no excuse to me. I can, however, separate the genius and scientific integrity of the man from his lack of personal integrity.

> In my experience, many if not most pure scientists and mathemeticians
> lean towards socialism...

A consequence of definition: "pure" scientists and mathematicians are those in academia rather than in productive enterprise. Since our system socializes education and a lot of research, it is expected that those who do well in that environment think of it as natural and normal. If you look at scientists and mathematicians who actually work for a living--say those doing R&D in big industry, insurance actuaries, bookies--I'm sure you'll get a different picture.

--
Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html>
"All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past,
are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified
for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC