From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Nov 28 12:33:48 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D3ADC16A478 for ; Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:33:48 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (gizmo.acns.msu.edu [35.8.1.43]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7CA6613C45D for ; Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:33:48 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id lASCTD8k081066; Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:29:13 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: (from jerrymc@localhost) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6/Submit) id lASCTDkY081065; Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:29:13 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from jerrymc) Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:29:13 -0500 From: Jerry McAllister To: Ted Mittelstaedt Message-ID: <20071128122913.GA81027@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> References: <20071127172300.GB76551@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i Cc: Jerry McAllister , FreeBSD chat , Peo Nilsson Subject: Re: In the spirit of Godwin's law - I propose Beastie's law X-BeenThere: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Non technical items related to the community List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:33:48 -0000 On Tue, Nov 27, 2007 at 10:17:00PM -0800, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote: > > CC set to FreeBSD Chat (Jerry you deleted the wrong mailing list) > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Jerry > > McAllister > > Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:23 AM > > To: Peo Nilsson > > Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > Subject: Re: In the spirit of Godwin's law - I propose Beastie's law > > > > > > > > Well, by "erasing" the history, no matter who "tried" > > > to write it, the chance decrease... > > > > Hmmm. I have come to think that our writing our history condemns > > us to repeat it rather than the other way around. With oral history > > it is possible to creatively adjust it in each generation. With written > > history, it is only creatively adjusted (no history is written truthfully) > > when it is first written down which is the time it is least understood > > or at least, least seen in perspective. > > > > Then, since it is written, we seem condemned to believing it rather > > than making it useful to our needs. > > > > Oral history has given us such nonsense as the "virgin" birth of > Jesus, so that instead of history focusing on the truth inherent > in what the guy was actually preaching, it instead focuses on > an impossible asexual human reproduction event that in reality > never happened. Yes, Virginia, Mary did feel Joseph's schlong. > > The next time you see a group of Christmas carolers, stop them > and ask how many of them know what the Golden Rule is. 10-to-1 > odds you will find at least 1 of them that can't tell you what it > is. > > Written history is much, much better. Well, I am not convinced. That virgin birth stuff was needed by a people in that time (to comfort some followers and prove to others that they were just as good as the other popular religions of the day who all had miracle births), but if it had not been written, it may well have been dropped in later times - or it might have grown in to something more interesting for todays kiddies.. Of course, since writing/reading is a core skill in getting our society where it is today, it is impossible to know what the total picture would be without it at all and it is unlikely that writing/reading could have existed for "science" and not for writing history. But, the fact remains that history is not accurately recorded and we are condemned to try and relive (in some way) the untrue history. We are constantly looking back to the good old days -- that never were like that. ////jerry > Ted >