Re: [ItV] Spelljamming and Technology - article

In <URL:news:local.spelljam> on Sat 25 Dec, Boris Karpa wrote:
> >  Even if
> > the Spelljamming culture is restricted to just communication, and
> > no physical trade, then ideas like the Scientific Method, or
> > experimental practice, or the Null Hypothesis, could really shake
> > up the Spelljamming philosophical establishments.
>
> Hi!
>
> That's me, Boris, the man you've grown to hate.
> What about social concepts? Socialism? Democracy? Fascism?
> Hegel? Nietzhshe? [sp?] Jesus? Ayn Rand? Freud?
> What about the most destructive notion of them all, " , that all men are
> created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
> unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
> Happiness"? What about corporations, stock exchanges, Communism, terrorism
> [terrorism results from the perception everyone is a potential killing
> machine, and every household utensil is a potential WMD, thus, you only need
> small organisations or individuals to wreak damage, think 9/11, McVeigh, and
> ad nauseam. That perception can be adapted to any universe, tech level
> notwithstanding], mass-production, and, gods forbid, Britney Spears.
> Those are even more dangerous than the Scietific Method. Remember, humans
> [or elves, as the case maybe] are the most dangerous technology out there.
> Stuff that affects our wetware could be endlessly more dangerous than any
> weapon.

You've got to give me some material for the next article! [grin]

Seriously, for people to consider something they've got to see
what they can get out of it. Now, that might be the furthering of
a life aim, to see greater peace and harmony between all peoples,
to make their society work better, or just to play around with
interesting ideas, and see what they do to other people's lives!

The scientific method is of interest to practical philosophers,
who want to know reliable ways of describing how the world works.
The fruits of such descriptions are of interest to technologists,
who want to make new and interesting things work. The fruits of
technology are of interest to merchants, who want to get very,
very, rich, and use that to generally improve their lives. If
other people's lives are improved as well, so much the better!

Ideas may be potentially dangerous, but you have got to have
someone who sees a reason to pick them up, and for no one to
squash that person, before they become actually dangerous.

Then, there is the rule, that applied for many years in our
world, that it takes fifty years (two generations?) for an idea
to get from the philosphers into general public circulation. So,
on that basis, the idea that is going to destroy your society
might already be there, it's just the fuse is still burning
down...


Cheers!


> SY,
> Boris Karpa,
> Creator of Fiona
> Long Live The Queen!

--
Dreamer
dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk
http://www.romsys.demon.co.uk/