Stan Kretler wrote:
> "Carol Tilley" <tilley@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>> From: Stan Kretler
> >> Another way to ask my question would
> >> be: what is it that's daring here?
> > Obviously there is something daring here
> Hm. I seem to have asked an unanswerable question.....
Stan,
When you ask a question of the form, "Wait, doesn't the King have no clothes on?", you shouldn't expect a warm, lengthy response (though thanks to Greg for his excellent, detailed post.)
I share your questions, and am not certain what the King is actually wearing. But some things to keep in mind:
FAQ> The history of the alt.extropians newsgroup is FAQ> complex and we won't go into it here, just yet, FAQ> but it was decided early on by the people who FAQ> established the extropians mailing list that it FAQ> would be a "safe haven" for extropian people to FAQ> discuss fine points WITHIN the context of FAQ> extropian thought.
While this rule might strike you as somewhat Stalinist, it's perfectly understandable [1]. People here have things they want to accomplish, and public self-questioning -- at least a certain kind of self-questioning, or a certain degree of it -- can get in the way.
And, bottom line: it's the rule.
2) While the ideas discussed here might be obvious to you, and to most people you know, they aren't to 99.something percent of the people on the planet. Speaking to "the masses" may be boring, but it's extremely important, politically. Many people here are engaged in activism in the public sphere, and encounter people who not only have not read Bacon, Descartes, Nietzsche, etc., but don't even understand the rudiments of science.
But, again: rules are rules; ergo: termination of discussion, unless someone with rule-bending authority indicates that termination isn't necessary.
Best,
Brian.
[1] See more at the indicated URL for why the rule isn't thought to be Stalinist.
-- Brian Manning Delaney <b-delaney@uchicago.edu> "Exoterisch -- esoterisch...." -Nietzsche