Re: Basics series proposed

From: Myxococcus xanthus (mold-guardian_at_comcast.net)
Date: 10/21/04 

Date: 21 Oct 2004 07:41:23 -0700

pdraper@yahoo.com (Paul Draper) wrote in message news:<74768d2d.0410201206.5fd81f00@posting.google.com>...
> pdraper@yahoo.com (Paul Draper) wrote in message news:<74768d2d.0410140548.63ef5890@posting.google.com>...
> > Since these are the three most active s.p. newsgroups, and also the
> > forum for the highest concentration of misguided souls, I propose that
> > we start a series of threads on fundamentals.
>
> [snip]
>
> I have to admit that I am demoralized at the moment.
>
> I had hoped that we could fight ignorance with a proactive rather
> than a reactive approach, but this is clearly the improper forum for
> that. A quick survey of the length of threads initiated by or drifting
> to nonsense compared to the length of threads based on sound thinking
> reveals the true interest in the proposal.
>
> While it would be a useful project to contribute to the FAQ, the
> intent was to educate in the context of discussion, a virtual
> "classroom" if you will. There's no point in contributing to a
> reference that none of the "students" will read or attempt to learn
> from. The intention was to focus on *exactly* what is wrong in
> someone's thinking (which varies from person to person), set it
> straight, and then make progress from there.
>
> I had high hopes -- really -- that perhaps one misguided soul would
> read something sensible and say, "Oh... Really?...Oh. I see I was
> confused. OK, I get it now. Now what about...?" My head knew better,
> my heart does not.
>
> [sitting in the duck blind, waiting with a shotgun for a duck to
> appear]
> PD

You are fixated on the hopeless cases. There are actually a fair
number of us in the intermediate category, students, hobbyists, and
sincere amateurs, not as knowledgeable as the real physicists in the
group, but knowledgeable enough to distinguish between sense and
nonsense.

People in this category (such as myself) can read and learn from
writings of people such as yourself, Bilge, Bjoern, Dirk, Tom etc. and
even our sole non-crank aetherist heretic, Ilja. We easily distinguish
their writings from the arrogant idiots who dominate this group, and
would benefit enormously from such as you propose.

Myxococcus xanthus

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Basics series proposed
    ... >> forum for the highest concentration of misguided souls, ... > to nonsense compared to the length of threads based on sound thinking ... > [sitting in the duck blind, waiting with a shotgun for a duck to ... writings of people such as yourself, Bilge, Bjoern, Dirk, Tom etc. and ...
    (sci.physics.particle)
  • Re: Basics series proposed
    ... >> forum for the highest concentration of misguided souls, ... > to nonsense compared to the length of threads based on sound thinking ... > [sitting in the duck blind, waiting with a shotgun for a duck to ... writings of people such as yourself, Bilge, Bjoern, Dirk, Tom etc. and ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Basics series proposed
    ... > forum for the highest concentration of misguided souls, ... to nonsense compared to the length of threads based on sound thinking ... intent was to educate in the context of discussion, ... [sitting in the duck blind, waiting with a shotgun for a duck to ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Basics series proposed
    ... > forum for the highest concentration of misguided souls, ... to nonsense compared to the length of threads based on sound thinking ... intent was to educate in the context of discussion, ... [sitting in the duck blind, waiting with a shotgun for a duck to ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Basics series proposed
    ... > forum for the highest concentration of misguided souls, ... to nonsense compared to the length of threads based on sound thinking ... intent was to educate in the context of discussion, ... [sitting in the duck blind, waiting with a shotgun for a duck to ...
    (sci.physics.particle)