Ashish Gulhati wrote [ at 01:12 PM 9/2/2006 ] :
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/biased-sample.html
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/hasty-generalization.html
They do not apply. Genius, by definition, is exceedingly rare, and any
social engineering plan that attempts to enforce its own generalizations
about children will end up eliminating some geniuses.
My point was that this [seems to me like it] is all about the state
bearing the costs of said kids, both through the overwhelming
majority of them being raied by parents on teh dole, as well as the
cost of incarcerating them later.
Deepa's comment is entirely valid. Her point, as I understand it, was
that
generalizations about parents have little bearing on the kids they will
raise, not that all mothers like Mozart's (assuming for the moment that
there was something whacked about her) will raise a kid like him.
It seems to me that the generalization (irrespective of its truth or
falsity) is being made about the kids, not the parents.
Mr Blair defended the need for state intervention and said action
could even be taken "pre-birth" if necessary as families with drug
and alcohol problems were being identified too late.
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
