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Hey all,
I don't know what has transpired
with you all, but with me I've been going through a lot of processing about
hurt, anger, and forgiveness. I want to go through Glen's last posting and
try to address it as honestly and really non-intellectually as possible.
There is no glibness here. No impishness. I wish that you could hear
my voice.
Glen you are in italic.
...something that life essentially does is essentially
uncomputable...
Perhaps he meant computation as it is now concieved
of and implemented.
Mediocrity is there precisely because that's what drives industry and
productivity.
I don't understand this, but it strikes me as
deeply cynical.
And RR contributed to this mainstream effort at least as much as anyone
else and probably more.
Not in my opinion.
If Hilbert hadn't started his program, for example, Tarski and Goedel
would not have gotten so fired up and done
their work. Glen in a private talk with me, you indicated that
you were amiable to the Hilbert program. I can't help but feel that in the
light of what you just said here that what you said to me previously was a
trap.
What matters is that he actually did work. So many people sit on
their butts all day doing nothing but drinking beer and watching tv (or, worse
yet, their only productive work is to run strip mining companies or organize
suicide bombers) that I appreciate anyone as productive as RR.
I don't sit on my butt all day, nor do I watch very
much television, nor do I run a strip mining company, nor do I organize suicide
bombers. I do have the occasional beer. About a six-pack a
week.
On the other hand, I have found that RR's disciples seem more averse to
criticism than others (except maybe for fans of Ayn Rand). RR disciples
seem to want to deify the man and his work.
I sometimes feel that I am a disciple of nature
alone. This is a very inclusive discipline in my opinion. I think
the Ayn Rand comment was kind of funny though. I certainly don't deify
Robert though. He sat on the toilet like all of us.
Part of this is innocent... his writings, using a prosaic style, appeal
to people who don't have the skills to critically evaluate what they
read.
I think there is a difference between using
critical thinking skills and just being critical. I have in the past
both done the one and been the other.
So, specifically, when you post RR's work to this list, don't insert
your own explananda.
Glen you said this to Judith, but I for one am
grateful that she would share of her time, so precious, to help explain her
father's work to me.
That's all I have to say.
David
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