Essay RFC delayed.

[Signal 11]

"Eric S. Raymond" wrote:
> If you're so smart, why aren't *you* the person the Wall Street Journal calls?

Everybody, back up.  There is no need to get personal here.

> I'm fed up with the inability of supposedly intelligent people to see past
> their idealism and their prejudices.

Eric, that idealism which you are so quick to dismiss is what fired this whole movement up and is what continues to sustain it. Idealism is what makes life interesting!  It can also touch off bitter wars of attrition (aka flaming).  People live by their beliefs, and only very stubbornly give them up.  It is also a hallmark of human reasoning to hold beliefs which are not logically self-consistent. 

> Wake up, man.  The percentage of people who can be reached by
> arguments that aren't founded in selfishness is *tiny*.  You and I
> both happen to be among them -- but I know I'm in a minority, and you
> apparently don't.

I have to disagree - that's a myth perpetuated by the mindset of american
society.  The idea of enlightened self-interest as the driving force behind
all progress holds true for capitalism - not life in general. 

-- 
Signal 11, BOFH to the UF list and malign.net
"Our vision is to speed up time, eventually eliminating it."-- Alex Schure