Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!cornellcs!newsstand.cit.cornell.edu!newstand.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.mathworks.com!howland.erols.net!ix.netcom.com!elna
From: elna@netcom.com (Esperanto League N America)
Subject: Re: languages & happiness!!
Message-ID: <elnaE4qtLE.C24@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <853605030.2652@dejanews.com> <5cg6l0$3e5@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> <32EBBAE5.1C06@sn.nono> <32f3e08e.4226737@news.mindspring.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 00:05:37 GMT
Lines: 36
Sender: elna@netcom5.netcom.com

dgary@mindspring.com (D Gary Grady) writes in a recent posting (reference <32f3e08e.4226737@news.mindspring.com>):
>
>I would urge my fellow Esperanto speakers to refrain from postings
>intended merely to advertise or promote Esperanto. (I don't think
>anyone would have reason to object to an occasional announcement of a
>course or a Web page about any language, however, provided it doesn't
>stray into advertising.) I would also respectfully urge Anders and
>like-minded people to refrain from promoting an anti-Esperanto (or
>anti-any-language) cause.
>
I seem to have a different notion of the intent of Usenet groups. 
I thought that these groups were intended as a forum for sharing
information and tips, specifically including advocating solutions
to problems. I recall that some months ago here on sci.lang there was
a bizarre interchange in which one fellow claimed that real science
has nothing to do with problem solving and that we should therefore
stick to pure description. I reject this argument, and believe that
it is completely consistant with the intention of this Usenet forum
to suggest Esperanto (or Interlingua, or Cantonese) as a solution to
various language problems.

Of course it is a disservice to suggest that universal study of 
Esperanto will lead to world peace; but it *would* make tourism easier
and in some ways more fruitful, and likely have several other benefits
from saving money in international organizations to improving students'
attitudes toward learning languages.

Advocating education should not be discouraged, even in a "sci." group!



-- 
Miko SLOPER              elna@netcom.com              USA  (510) 653 0998
Direktoro de la          ftp.netcom.com:/pub/el/elna   fax (510) 653 1468 
Centra Oficejo de la     Learn Esperanto! Free lessons: e-mail/snail-mail
Esperanto-Ligo de N.A.   Write to above address or call:  1-800-ESPERANTO
