Re: Sick of bashers (was: Re: Sick of KB)

[chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (chris williams)]

In article <9306291735.AA12284@dlsun87.us.oracle.com> Drukman writes:
>Slap me with a watermelon and call me Muffy, cos Chris Williams
>finally said something interesting:
>
>>I defer to the opinions of others when I feel that their knowledge of
>>the subject is greater.
>>think their opinions are more valid? Yes.

>ah, but are their opinions *objectively* better?  no!  expertise does
>not improve the worth of an opinion - an opinion has no objective
>value!

  OK, here you say that an opinion has no objective value....

>>All opinions are not equally valid.
>
>i'd say that this is incorrect.  the whole concept of an opinion means
>that it has no objective measurement, thus there can be no validity or
>lack thereof assigned to it.  do you have some sort of tally board
>where you rank the "kateness" of l-h posters and then decide based on
>their Kateness Quotient how worthy of respect their opinion is?

   No. And we know each other well enough that this is a very silly
thing for you to accuse me of.

>>Everyone has an equal *right* to *voice* an opinion, but to claim
>>that all opinions are equally valid makes the entire idea of
>>education silly.
>
>says you.

   Gosh, what a wit!

>>Why pay big bucks to get the opinions of professors, when you could ask
>>anyone on the street for free?
>
>good professors foster a *diversity* of opinions in their classes.
>bad ones impose a single viewpoint (usually their own).  ever hear of
>the "marketplace of ideas"?

   I didn't say impose. But is the professor only a moderator? How can
the class not be based primarily on the on the opinions of the person
defining the curriculum (sp?). Why even have a classroom and lectures?
Why don't the students simply agree to meet and discuss everything
without the school?

>>My opinions about Heavy Metal have *no* validity at all. No one
>>should ever ask my opinion about Heavy Metal.
>
>and why not?  your opinion is no better or worse than anyone else's.

   OK, here you say that my opinion is as valid as anyone elses...

>>Given that I can accept that my opinions have varying levels
>>of validity, I believe everyone has opinions about many different
>>subjects, and that some of those opinions are going to be of variable
>>quality.
>
>well, you believe wrong things, and it is my unpleasant duty to summon
>you back to the reality that us ordinary earthlings inhabit.

   ...and here you say it isn't.

>i read music newsgroups and subscribe to music mailing lists all the
>time because i am *curious* about what other people think about
>particular records.  after a period of frequenting a group, i begin to
>learn about the people behind the postings.  if you post a glowing
>review of an album, it's pretty much guaranteed to be a piece of utter
>crap in my eyes because i know what you're like.  on the other hand,
>if i read one of Pete Ashdown's thoughtful and intelligent XDZebra
>reviews, i know from past experience that my tastes are pretty much in
>line with his and i will enjoy stuff that he enjoys.

    ...and here you agree that there are other people with opinions
that you value far more than mine. Which way do you want it?

>i have no idea why you're playing this dumb game, chris.  is it
>because you truly wish to squash the "wrong thinkers" in this group?

   Bullshit. I'm not squashing anyone, anymore than you are, anymore
than any disagreement does.


                          Chris Williams of
                             Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago
                               chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (his)
                                 vickie@njin.rutgers.edu      (hers)
                                   katefans@chinet.chinet.com (ours)