On Sunday October 11 2009, Paola Di Maio wrote:
> Randall
>
> > The relatively small minority of people with the cognitive
> > abilities and proclivities to do science and engineering are enough
> > to move the human race forward.
>
> I find this statement very revealing of what some lucky people think
> of themselves. (01)
It is nothing of the sort and not about what I think of myself. (02)
> The way people's 'cognitive abilities' are measured is
> based on a number of factors that are often purely statistical. (03)
What I said has nothing to do with how one quantifies, defines or
measures mental abilities. (04)
> I found out only recently what 'alpha kids' are. Children are ranked
> statistically based on their parents jobs, income and wealth, into A,
> B, C classes
>
> Many other factors influence people cognitive abilities, ... (05)
Of course. So what? None of this is germane to what I stated: A small
minority of humans have been and are responsible for our scientific and
technological progress throughout human history and pre-history. It
only takes one person to advance knowledge or ability, after that, it
is merely the transmission of information that makes that advancement
available to others. (06)
> I reject your statement above entirely, and wonder, would you be born
> and bred the Usa? (07)
Do you think science and technology (either in their older
trial-and-error guise or by modern scientifically based procedures) are
carried out by other than a minority of all the humans who have and do
live? I do not. (08)
You seem to think I'm making some kind of value judgement elevating
practitioners of science and engineering above others. I am not. (09)
> About Google you say ' it's largely incidental; a "right place at the
> right time with the right tool" kind of thing.'
>
> doesn't the whole universe looke like rather incidental too? (010)
I distinguish the engineered from the evolved. I'm not talking about the
evolved, only the engineered. (011)
> ...
>
>
> The rest that you say I have no quibble with (012)
I missed the part with which you have no quibble. (013)
> P (014)
Randall Schulz (015)
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