Hello Iliya.
While you directed your inquiry to the people at VPRI (and I'm not there,) I
hope you'll forgive my curiosity.
Questions inline, and hopefully not too many of them.
> On Sep 19, 2014, at 2:16 AM, Iliya Georgiev <ikgeorg...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I am addressing this letter mainly to Mr. Alan Kay and his fellows at VPRI. I
> have an idea how to reduce complexity in educating children to program. This
> seems to be a part of a goal of the VPRI "to improve "powerful ideas
> education" for the world's children".
>
> But in case my idea turns into success, a moral hazard emerges. If the
> children (6-14 years old) understand things better and can even program, can
> they become a victim of labor exploitation?
All stop. Anyone can be exploited. It just takes a big enough gang of
exploitive people. Is this really a question, or is it more of a statement?
> Up to know they could be exploited physically. From now on they could be
> exploited mentally. OK, in the north in so called developed countries they
> may be protected, but in the south...
>
> On the other side, don't we owe to the tomorrow people the possibility to
> understand the world we leave to them? Or they will be savages that use
> tools, but do not know how work.
I made a half-assed promise at the top to only ask questions, but your phrasing
here struck me as stunningly beautiful. "The tomorrow people." If I'd written
that, I'd be inclined to capitalize and underline the words. It'd be a great
title for a science fiction novel.
> So if you want to wear the burden of the moral hazard, I will send the
> description of my idea to you and help with what I can.
All stop. Why must I decide to bear a burden before I read your words? What
risk is there in sharing them without contract?
> You will judge, if it is worth to do it. It would be easily if people work
> cooperatively. That is a lesson children should learn too. The software could
> be made from one person, but there may be more challenges than one think. In
> case you agree to do it I will want you to publish online the results of the
> experiment. And if possible to make the program to run in a web browser and
> to release it freely too, just as you did in some of your recent experiments.
Isn't that asking a bit much? Would not asking for permission to publish your
results yourself be enough?
> It is strange that unlike more scientists, I will be equally happy from the
> success and failure of my idea.
Ouch. Yeah, I see what you're trying to say. Once again, I've failed to ask a
question. What I'll say instead: I've never known a good scientist who would
not be happy to know that her hypothesis was incorrect, because in doing so,
she's learned something about the universe and our place in it, which is what
she set out to do in the first place.
> Best regards,
>
> Iliya Georgiev
Hope I haven't created unnecessary noise with this post. I assure you that you
will forgive my curiosity!
--Casey
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