--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Are
you putting me on, or have you decided to
> start channeling Barry now?
>
> It's a great gig if you take it all the way.
> Then everything is a wild card, there are no
> longer any facts, and you never have to commit
> yourself to anything--or better yet, you can
> hold two contradictory positions simultaneously
> and brag about how enlightened you are to be
> able to do so. Oh, yes, and you can freely
> misrepresent what other people have said and
> engage in the wildest of hyperbole without
> *any* reference to logic at all.
I didn't realize Barry was such a dangerous character. My, he sound
like quite the charlatan by your description. I'll surely keep my
eyes out for his wanton and coniving ways. Thanks for warning me.
So from your warning, lets see if there are some things we can agree on.
1) Facts are good.
2) You should always commit your self to a postion.
Well I hope i can have facts and some reasoning time first. And
if I learn more stuff that contradicts the postion, I assume its ok to
modify my position.
3) Its not good to hold two contradictory positions simultaneously?
Will the mind explode if this is done? Actually, under
uncertainty, decision therorists say this is the best option.
Assigning probabilites as best one can to each. Whats the alternative
under uncertainty? Just pick one and pray?
4) Its not good to brag about how enlightened you are.
I certainly agree with that. In fact i think "enlightenment" is a
non-productive concept.
5) You can shouldn't misrepresent what other people have said.
Yes, lying and misrepresenting are bad things.
6)You shouldn't engage in hyperbole.
Always good advice.
7) You should be logical when you make a point.
I can't argue there.
Lets see if there are more:
A) When you communicate, its always good to check, to think through if
people might interpret what you write or say in ways different than
you mean. That is its good to weed out ambiguity in your speech and
writing the best you can.
B) If people still misunderstand your meaning, patience in explaining
it is a good thing. Words aren't perfect and multiple interpreations
are usually possible. Whats important is to communicate clearly what
you mean.
C) Calling people names is a bad things, and just makes people mad or
make them laugh at you.
D) Many things can't be known with absolute certainty, so its best not
to be arrogant and say you're certain if you are really not -- or
can't really be.
E) Life is short and probably not worth wasting on arguing small points.
F) People will have their own points of view, often differnt than
yours. That doesn't make them stupid. Maybe they have different facts
and experience than you, or sort the facts out and tie them together
in a different way. Seeing how people bundle up facts in different
ways can help us be more certain and clear about our views and ideas.
G) Sometimes stuff in our minds seep out and color stuff thats in
black and white in front of us. We all gotta watch out for that. And
when it happens, try to see the difference clearly -- whats in our
heads and whats out there.
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