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Graham Freeman concedes that his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were superficial. Well, sustained superficiality is bad. On the other hand, an initial superficiality is OK, possibly even good. Since a view the blogosphere as a giant PHI-DEL, this sort of process should be going on: A says, "I have an idea!" B replies, "I have these problems with and questions about that idea". A (or C) provides more details, sharpening, defining, and publicly throwing out unworkable details. B (or D) has further questions and objections. The process goes on until A says, "Well, that was a really stupid idea; I'm sorry that I thought of it" or B says, "My questions have been answered; I'm convinced" (or more likely, we all get bored with it drop it). The 75-page plan, if it has been developed in isolation by someone who is less than an excruciatingly careful checker of facts and logic, is less valuable than the two-paragraph outline presented for public comment. No member of the blogosphere knows everything; I don't know everything (please do not tell my clients that). But working together, we make up for each other's deficits of knowledge. It is (with no apologies to any Marxists reading this) the marketplace of ideas and answers. So, we're at step 2 on Freeman's idea. John "Akatsukami" Braue Saturday, April 13, 2002 |
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