David -
Steven,
Is is a pleasure to do discourse with you.
The pleasure is mutual.
Minor clarification: When I mention "sentient life" I do indeed
include all life. In fact, given that I take as a working assumption
the Vedic (and then Buddhist) notion that the entire universe, all the
way down to quanta is an admixture of purusa (mind) and prakrti
(matter) so even a 'string' is sentient. Pragmatically, I focus on
multi-cellular lifeforms that I can actually sense / interact with.
This is the sense which I prefer and acknowledge the pragmatic limits
implied by "that which I can actually sense/interact with." I would like
to learn more about your Vedic (cum Buddhist?) groundings in the
philosophical (often shrouded in political) discussions here. Or maybe
it just helps that you have made them explicit (or I have finally heard
your explication of them).
"Willful ignorance" — I would indeed assert that most people are
willfully ignorant most of the time, that the vast majority live lives
that are "unexamined" ala Plato. This is the reason that I am very,
very, wary of "pure democracy."
It seems to come with our language functions to be both willful and
ignorant. Animals which we presume to have no significant language
ability, have a very different quality of each "will" and "ignorance"
and I don't think "willful ignorance" really makes sense for them except
to the extent that we humans project that onto them. My dogs can seem
to exhibit willful ignorance, but I think something less complicated
is going on. They can definitely be willful, and they do something
which is like feigning ignorance (e.g. pretending not to hear me until I
rattle the milk-bone box, breaking that illusion).
Christopher Alexander spoke at OOPSLA a decade ago — an architect
talking to software professionals. He noted that professional
architects influence roughly 10% of the built world, but software folk
will influence 100 percent, and not just the physical "built" world,
but every aspect of life, redefining work, play. culture ....
I'm a fan of Alexander, mildly for his architectural/urbanist work,
almost not at all for his influence of SW and "design patterns", but
hugely for the abstract underpinnings of form and function.
"With great power comes great responsibility." Alas the software folks
have refused to accept the responsibility that goes hand in hand with
the power they have. And this is a case of dramatic "willful
ignorance" on the part of the software community, but also those
engaged in city and social planning efforts. Everything they do
affects people — individually, collectively, socio-politically, and
culturally — and yet they are "willfully ignorant" of people.
Much of my work over the decades has been roughly in the realm of "user
interface"... not exactly or always directly involving building UI's,
but rather centered on the problem of how to help humans be more
effective/efficient through the leverage/mediation of computers. The
culture of "willful ignorance" in systems analysts, software engineers,
coders, etc. is extreme. And I believe it inherits from the
techno-utopian/techno-cratic mindset of Scientists, Engineers, and
Technologists in general. Present (collective) company included.
Pogo and Scott Adams both seemed to have our number from early on: "We
have met the enemy and they is us!"
The attached paper was presented at PURPLSOC (software, city planning,
social change agents) in Austria last fall. It became the featured
paper of the conference and proceedings. I think you might find it
interesting, and, hopefully, find some seeds for further discussion of
how a social construct might evolve from the kind of individualism we
both seem to resonate to.
Thanks, I'll take a look. I knew through Jenny that you had been
(presenting?) at a conference on patterns last year, but hadn't bothered
to follow up. From the Abstract, I think I'll find plenty of meat to
chew on and try to respond responsibly to it.
[The professor at Macalester College that inspired my interest in
utopian/designed communities was Hildegarde B. Johnson. Just
remembered her full name.]
Just looked her up... fascinating story of maintaining/promoting
Geography in the Liberal Arts.
-sas
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