18th April 2006, 4:36 PM
And the only way I can see that little speech having anything to do with the current debate is if the moon colony story was presented as a "true story" vs being presented as fiction.
You are basically stating something that isn't even the topic of discussion. That book isn't a 20/20 documentary. It is a STORY being presented as absolutely true. Are you stating that the ends justifies the means, and if he had to lie but the fiction got people to change, it's worth it?
I am asking you this. Do you believe that the same story, the SAME story mind you, MUST be presented as truth if it is to have any impact? That, whatever lesson it has, it will be ignored if it is just presented as fiction, and it is worth it to lie so long as you change someone's way of thinking?
I present this. Such a mindset is stupid. It leads to all sorts of terrible things. Some people may honestly believe we the people must DO something about "the 9/11 conspiracy", that the government was responsible for it and that the only way to get people to act is to make up a fictional story, pass it on as the truth, and rationalize it in the sense of "well, it COULD have happened and likely did to someone else, and it's worth it if it gets people to take action". It is still a lie, born from another lie, and all that will result, if anyone changes the way they think because of it, is an action born out of ignorance. History shows such actions yield success far less often than an informed act.
You are basically stating something that isn't even the topic of discussion. That book isn't a 20/20 documentary. It is a STORY being presented as absolutely true. Are you stating that the ends justifies the means, and if he had to lie but the fiction got people to change, it's worth it?
I am asking you this. Do you believe that the same story, the SAME story mind you, MUST be presented as truth if it is to have any impact? That, whatever lesson it has, it will be ignored if it is just presented as fiction, and it is worth it to lie so long as you change someone's way of thinking?
I present this. Such a mindset is stupid. It leads to all sorts of terrible things. Some people may honestly believe we the people must DO something about "the 9/11 conspiracy", that the government was responsible for it and that the only way to get people to act is to make up a fictional story, pass it on as the truth, and rationalize it in the sense of "well, it COULD have happened and likely did to someone else, and it's worth it if it gets people to take action". It is still a lie, born from another lie, and all that will result, if anyone changes the way they think because of it, is an action born out of ignorance. History shows such actions yield success far less often than an informed act.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)