And then, there are the anti-wacko wackos. N
Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, Clark University ([email protected]) http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ http://www.cusf.org [City University of Santa Fe] > [Original Message] > From: glen e. p. ropella <[email protected]> > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[email protected]> > Date: 12/2/2009 4:35:01 PM > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Game theorists hope to solve world's crises > > Quoting Robert J. Cordingley circa 09-12-02 02:54 PM: > > "Doubt is the antidote to fanaticism" but I don't recall who wrote it in > > the NYT. So I guess fanatic = wacko. > > I'd say that a fanatic is a specific type of wacko, an enthusiastic > wacko that continually advocates for their pet beliefs. A wacko might > be totally convinced that their pet belief is true but might not be very > _enthused_ about that belief. Perhaps their commitment to the pet > belief leads them to continual states of paranoia, depression, or > isolation. Then they're not a fanatic; but they're still wacko. So > doubt is the antidote to many types of wacko, not just fanaticism. > > It's also reasonable that a person can be a wacko without being totally > convinced, convicted, committed to some belief. The most fun example > would be the impredicative wacko (a wacko who is wacko because they're > not wacko). In my insistence that doubt and skepticism are the only > fundamental beliefs worth holding, you might be tempted to label me an > impredicative wacko. But since I believe doubt and skepticism are > _incomplete_ truths, I don't really qualify. > > OK. I'll stop, now. Sorry. ;-) > > -- > glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://agent-based-modeling.com > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
