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From: pml@oasis.icl.co.uk (Patricia Lynch)
Subject: Re: where's comp.ai heading?
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Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 09:53:46 GMT
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"Alan J. Robinson" (robin073@maroon.tc.umn.edu) wrote:
: 
: But it would also be highly desirable to stop unqualified people like 
: Dennet, Penrose, and Searle from writing popular books and articles 
: which give the misleading impression that they are true scientific 
: works.  It's one thing if they would clarify existing scientific work, 
: but when they start coming up with their own half-baked ideas outside 
: their areas of expertise it's something entirely different - he who 
: thinks that evolution is an algorithm understands neither evolution 
: nor algorithms.
: 
: It makes one long for the "bad" old days of science commentators 
: and the peer-reviewed literature.
: 

Um. You may be able to control opinions expressed in a news group by use
of moderation, though in my personal opinion this would be contrary to
the spirit of free discussion which most of Usenet advocates. If you
advocate prohibiting people from publishing books which contain opinions
with which you disagree, then you are advocating censorship based on 
personal judgement. Even advocating that people should be qualified in
the areas in which they write would be censorship - though of a less
personal nature. If you do that, you restrict the expression of opinions
which are contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy. In my opinion, the 
dangers this would create in the areas of missed insights outweigh the
irritation caused by uninformed debate.

The price of freedom is not always what you expect.

Best Regards, Tricia Lynch


