[FRIAM] Motives - Was Abduction

[Steven A Smith]

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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