From: smoliar@maclane.iss.nus.sg (stephen smoliar)
Subject: Re: Dancing to a Paying Piper
Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 01:08:21 GMT
Organization: Institute of Systems Science, NUS, Singapore


In article <1991Sep26.021421.18751@milton.u.washington.edu>
gavand01@ulkyvx.bitnet writes:
>
>  I talked with Clynes today.
>He believes it will be many years yet before the intellectual mainstream quits
>laughing at the obvious.  Who knows?
>
>I talk about arrogance here, and you might be thinking that I am displaying no
>small amount of it myself.  We all have large egos or we wouldn't be doing any
>of this, would we?  But it is fun, heh?


You left out one critical quotation, from THE MONEY BOOK by Adam Smith:  "The
crowd is always wrong."  Nevertheless, only the arrogant and the foolish use
a word like "obvious" seriously.  Given how subjective all forms of perception
are, no individual can assume that what is "obvious" to him is so for anyone
else.  The surest way to break off communication is to tell someone that
something is obvious after you realize that they do not share your opinion.
Isn't it funny that as our technological powers for communication increase,
our ability to actually COMMUNICATE seems to be going downhill?  Will we be
able to communicate with each other any better when we all go into virtual
environments?
-- 
Stephen W. Smoliar; Institute of Systems Science
National University of Singapore; Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Kent Ridge, SINGAPORE 0511
Internet:  smoliar@iss.nus.sg	(USE THIS ADDRESS;  SOURCE LINE MAY BE WRONG!)