[From Bruce Nevin (991211.1013 EST)]
Kenny Kitzke (991209.1300EST)]
<Rick Marken (991209.0820)>
Bill Powers (991209.0559 MDT) to Bruce Nevin (991208.1311 EST)--
I think it is reasonable to ask children if they had any good
reason for not keeping a committment; but to teach them that all
comittments must be kept no matter what is to teach them something
that no adult believes.<My guess is that nearly all adults believe this (for example,
note the prevalence of the belief in an absolute moral code)
but, of course, none practice it because they _can't_ and
still maintain control of their perceptions.>You are hopeless Rick. Your sarcasm is thinly veiled and, [...]
Kenny, I don't think Rick was being sarcastic or attacking your beliefs. I
don't think he even considered whether this would be a disturbance to you.
This exchange hearkens back to a discussion in the archives about fixed
reference signals, as does Rick's commentary on setting a reference to a
constant in the middle level of his 3-level simulation.
Regarding inability unfailingly to meet the standards of any absolute moral
code, it looks like you two are in violent agreement.
Rick seems to be saying there is no point in an absolute moral code if it
is impossible, in the nature of control systems, to put it into "absolute"
practice. You seem to be saying that the absolute moral code is a given,
however difficult it may be to put into practice. This difference of
opinion may be irreconcilable. But I don't think Rick meant to evoke it.
Bruce Nevin
···
At 01:08 PM 12/09/1999 -0500, Kenneth Kitzke Value Creation Systems wrote: