NAVYJOBS.COM

Thu Apr 25 00:41:09 UTC 1996

Vadim replies to my diatribe against social engineering:

< condensed a little >

> 
> "Social Engineering" is merely a way to organize a
> society so it won't behave in a self-destructive manner.
> Free market rules (private property, freedom of trading,
> etc) is also a form of social engineering.  Attaching
> any religious value to it is silly and counterproductive.

I agree with all of your counterarguments, BTW..... but
we still disagree that creating an antisocial climate to
fix a technical problem is "A Good Thing".

You, and many others before you, and many after you will, with
much justification and logic and mathematics, conclude that
using emotional arguments to accomplish technical objectives
"Is Acceptable"...."The Ends Justify the Means".

The other side of the ying and yang say " The End Never Justifies
Improper Means" and fortunately they both exist in the world to
keep things in balance (to avoid extremes by both sides of the
antipode).

So, please excuse me for not jumping on the "let's shame everyone
into following our fears" bandwagon.  If there is truly an impossible
technical solution, and that can be proven and documented, the 
'rational human mind' shall gladly follow in the fold.

But, I believe most will agree ( at least I hope !!)

"Let's Try the Technical Options Before the Social Ones"

.... at least, I thought that was the ethics of the "Internet Order".

\begin{lamentationANDrhetoric}

	"Have we as Internauts, just given up on technical progress?
	 Content to coerce others to follow 'the new order' with 
         emotional appeal, are we to to practice the same barbarian
         tactics as those we all fought against?

	 Be careful of hate of our enemies, for in our emotional
         nature, we will become as they are in time.

\end{lamentationANDrhetoric}

Again, I argue for "Finding a Better Approach" than blaming the people
for the problems  and deficiencies of the systems.

Well, Vadim, I love you, but we disagree on this topic (not the first
time and probably not the last).  I admire you regardless of our
different perspectives on this moot issue. 

Best Regards,

Tim

+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tim Bass                           |                                    |
| Network Systems Engineer           | "Never underestimate the bandwidth |
| The Silk Road Group, Ltd.          |  of a station wagon full of tapes  |
|                                    |  hurtling down the highway."       |
| http://www.silkroad.com/           |                 -Andrew Tanenbaum  |
|                                    | 	                                  |
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