SUO: Re: Standards
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EL = Erik Larson
JS = John Sowa
EL to JS:
EL: My first inclination on reading your description of MSO below is to look into it,
think about things, then send a thoughtful contribution to the list to get out some
ideas and help the group find a promising direction. But my next thought is that it
simply isn't worth it. No group actions will result, no group consensus will edge
closer, and the whole thing will simply get swallowed up in another round of pointless
dillentantish quasi-intellectualism from the core group of folks currently dominating
discussions and creating a rather large disincentive for others interested in serious
work to get involved. Life is short. I have responsibilities. I cannot justify
getting involved with a group with this level of anti-progessiveness instilled in
its bones. Many others I've talked to feel the same way. I continue to monitor
the list, mainly to catch an occasional gem from an occasional contributor, but
also (I confess) out of this amazement in watching something with so much intial
promise go so rediculously and absolutely astray.
EL: It is, quite literally, an experiment in failure, in watching those with a great
interest in seeing their words publically aired and their wills here and there
imposed masquerade as a group of collaborating problem solvers. If anyone were
to notice or to even care, the real problem solvers have largely left, or are
now content to make occasional ascerbic comments in small hope of initiating
a bit of grounded reflection about some serious matters. In the meantime,
those who choose to stay on for that occasional gem have to endure a steady
stream of irrelevance in the interim. Fortunately, in this format it's as
easy to stay partially attached as it is, apparently, to stay fully engaged
in rediculousness.
Erik,
I believe it is healthy for people to share their feelings
as honestly as our frail human nature allows, and so I will
share some of mine on the subjects that you brought up here.
I also have absent friends, who ran away to live a better day somewhere else,
and they have a host of different reasons for finally, or momentarily, giving up
their several ghosts, as far as trying to accomplish any meaningful work, or even
to have any chance of conducting intelligent well-informed conversations in this
forum. Many of these folks I still maintain active correspondence with, indeed,
about the subjects that arise on the list, some still keep their subscriptions
while posting infrequently or not at all, others just surf past the archive
on their more idle days. Some of their reasons for leaving I know from
express report, others I think I can guess from the other things that
they say.
If I had to sum all this up in a choice few words --
chosen from my neurons stuffed with movie matters --
I guess it would have to be "The Big Chill".
There is the chilling effect that comes from a continual drumbeat
of anticipatory prior censorship, fearing any moment that they risk
being keel-hauled or court-martialed in a military tribunal for being
Off Topic Without Leave. They can see that some Big Shots have this
leave to do as they will, but they know they'd never get off lightly
with taking such liberties. And if they ever doubt it, there is the
constant display of the Usual Suspects rounded up in the Usual Stocks.
Then for those folks who were brought up in the more moderate climes
of Continental Philosophies, there are the prevailing Westerlies of
Analytic Philosophy's Anti-Intellectual Priggishness, that blasts
every other brand of thinking away without a second thought as
to what sort of irreductive value it might actually contain.
Some of these folks are internationally recognized and highly creative
experts in one or two fields, at least, and others have a very hearty
quantity of verve and wit, that I can appreciate even when I disagree
with their assumptions and conclusions. We were lucky to have them,
but they are gone, largely in disgust at our petty disputanda, and
the general double-speak hypocracy about "free and open discourse".
As far as being a real problem-solver goes, well, problem-solving
is as problem-solving does, and speaking very frankly, I have yet
to start down the road of trying to solve any real problem here,
knowing full well from years and years of experience doing just
that what kind of work it really takes, without having all hands
left on deck quickly fade and finally wimp out on the job as soon
as they started to get a clue that the cruise wouldn't be the wash
that they'd dreamed it would be. In short, you can put that in your
pipe and smoke it, or some other hermenautical metaphor of proper pith
and moment.
Jon Awbrey
PS. I forgot to show my Letters Of Transit: <JA, 09 Dec 2003, 10>
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http://www.cs.bsu.edu/homepages/mighty/history.html
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