You are correct. I did not read your post carefully enough and responded to my (mis) interpretation of your intent rather than the words themselves. My apologies.
-- Mary ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mary Landesman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 12:21 PM Subject: Re: [Full-Disclosure] Hacking into private files, my credit card purchases, personal correspondence or anything that is mine is trespassing and criminal. > > Mary, please don't mangle my comments like that...I did not say we are > wired to be bad. I said nothing like that at all. Point in fact, I said: > > > > >There is no "moral breakdown", as humankind is not fundamentally moral. > > > >Morals are learned and enforced and reinforced...not inherited or > > >magically imbued. > > We are not pre-wired with morals, and that's not at all saying "...we are > somehow wired to be bad.." (I've read a lot of your posts, Mary...thought > you were more attentive than that). We are amoral, not immoral, at > birth...what morals and behaviors and social codes we have, we are taught. > "Thou shalt not kill" is not a genetically coded behavior...it is > learned. (And by the way...the why behind "Thou shalt not kill" is "Or > you will roast in hell for eternity/be obliterated by your local diety of > choice", which does not sound like positive reinforcement to me...does it > to you?) > > I did not, ever, say that we are wired to be bad...since good and bad > don't exist for us until someone else teaches us the concepts. > > I also did not say "...that only negative consequences change it..." What > I said was: > > > >...people cannot be made to change, therefore laws are in place > > >to deter unwanted behaviors...and failing that, to punish those who are > > > >not deterred. Behavior modification through negative reinforcements > > >works...always has, most likely always will. > > > > > Either you have never parented or you did not care if your child stuck > his/her hand on a hot stove burner (If you told your child "Don't do that > or you will be burned!" you just used negative reinforcement). Positive > reinforcement "only" reinforces/rewards desired behaviors (that "only" > does not imply that this is a little deal...rewarding desired behaviors is > a fine thing)...it does not change undesired behaviors. Negative > reinforcement is a vehicle of behavioral change. Think about it, and then > give me an example of using positive reinforcement to effect change, > without it coming off as bribery; i.e. "If you stop doing XXX I'll give > you YYY". That method of behavior modification ultimately tends to breed > extortionists, don't you think? > > Anyway, this is Full Disclosure, not Psychology Today...I just dislike > being misquoted... > > cheers > > Bart Lansing > Manager, Desktop Services > Kohl's IT > _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
