Re: JSH: Why do people lie?

On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:11:13 -0000, JSH <jstevh@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

People lie to gain an advantage when they want something badly enough,
lack the morals not to lie, and think they can gain an advantage by
lying.

The first two points seem pretty clear in this case, but the
third has always puzzled me - what advantage do you think you're
going to gain by the lies you tell?

(Some of your comments about mathematics are probably
honest errors, not lies. But your comments about how we're
always lying are in fact blatant lies, given the huge
number of times you've finally conceded that our "lies"
about your work were actually truthful statements.)

George W. Bush is an interesting case as let's say for the sake of
argument that he lied about "weapons of mass destruction" being in
Iraq.

Oh. You didn't mean to be starting a thread about _your_ lies?
Sorry, I was misled by the Subject line. Never mind...

Why would he?

Pull that thread and you see how easy it is to kill thousands of
people with dumb lies.

I pulled he thread and my analysis is that he is not a great student
of history, felt as the oldest he could fix things as he felt that his
father was disadvantaged by his decisions about Iraq and taxes, and he
naively decided to reverse his father's decisions.

So he invaded Iraq and cut taxes.

Easy.

Why would mathematicians lie about math?

Easy.

It's all about the Easy button like in that commercial.

They do it for their advantage. And they can clearly get away with
it, to a point.

Now ask yourselves, if there is wholesale lying by the mathematical
community about math, how would you know it?

So why wouldn't they?

I call the situation a Catch-22, like how if Bush were a great leader
he wouldn't have to lie like I think he does, but not being a great
leader there is no way in hell he'll ever admit to doing what he does.

If these people were great mathematicians they would not need to lie
about math, but not being great mathematicians there is no way in hell
they will ever admit to doing what they are doing.

And what they do is waste your time.

Weak minds who cannot understand history, who cannot comprehend that
there is a benefit to the entire human species in actually knowing
correct mathematics.

To them "pure math" is just a way to make money, and who cares, after
all, there is all this science and technology out there anyway, which
relies on the correct applied math, so who does it hurt?

But thousands of years ago, people had no clue what they could do with
the mathematics that is used today in so many areas.

The "mathematicians" who cannot see why it matters that they tell the
truth are wishing to condemn the children of humanity because they
cannot see them. They cannot care for them. They only care for what
they see today.

And if finally the human species will fail here then deservedly it
will die as it no longer cares for those who are to come.

And if so I say good riddance.


James Harris


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David C. Ullrich
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