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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

rshow55 - 05:31pm Sep 14, 2003 EST (# 13665 of 13668)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

A little . . conventions, even when fictional, have their uses. And their limitations.

I've worked hard - and Gisterme has paid some attention, too, since

rshow55 - 10:06am Sep 12, 2003 EST (# 13622 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.x1sIb2lPFnJ.9158757@.f28e622/15315 which included

Chain breakers http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee79f4e/618

and this:

" The long and the short of it is - you need both long and short. From the long, quite often, the short condenses."

" I believe that some useful condensations have occurred on the NYT Missile Defense thread, and that more will.

" Including some simple exemplars that lchic and I have worked to focus - that might be usefully taught to four or five year olds. Kids and their parents might be better if they learned one of lchic's poems http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.x1sIb2lPFnJ.9158757@.f28e622/3745 . And in a little while, that poem might be learned with a small addition http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.x1sIb2lPFnJ.9158757@.f28e622/3784 .

jorian319 - 10:10am Sep 12, 2003 EST (# 13623 of 13624)

" More useful condensations occur in the copper coils of a 'still.

rshow55 - 10:13am Sep 12, 2003 EST (# 13624 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.x1sIb2lPFnJ.9158757@.f28e622/15317

" This thread has been a big effort - and not only for me. http://www.mrshowalter.net/Sequential.htm

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Here's an interesting condensation, I think. Kids should know workable answers, in ways that matter, to the following questions. From about the time they learn to talk - http://www.mrshowalter.net/PiagetCognitiveLimits.htm and adults should, too.

. Absolutely every person, without exception knowingly utter falsehoods - and misleads.

WHAT'S CHEATING?

The english speaking culture doesn't have workable answers to the following questions - and neither do other cultures.

Question: How would I explain the idea of apology to a person at each of Piaget's stages? . . . Or to a parent or teacher dealing with that child?

Question: How would I explain the idea that people intentionally and unintentionally mislead each other to a person at each of Piaget's stages? . . . Or to a parent or teacher dealing with that child?

We need better answers to these questions than we have.

From where we are - they ought to be close at hand.

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I don't think I have any good reason to take Gisterme at his word.

Too much is at stake, it seems to me.

rshow55 - 07:42pm Sep 14, 2003 EST (# 13666 of 13668)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

If people are scandalized, and panic - and run around blinded with passion - every time somebody calls somebody else a ahem "knowing falsifier" - then we're in a hell of a mess.

The incidence of more or less conscious deception - and obviously repressed fiction is something like 10-20 times what people are admitting.

And people are stumped - in all sorts of obvious and stupid ways - some of them bloody - because they're missing that.

If people would admit that simple fact we could sort out a lot - and have more fun.

From where we are - it is dangerous not to try to grow up at least enough to do this much.

Maybe gisterme is "just another guy" but if you look at the record it is reasonable to doubt that on statistical and logical grounds - and it is stupid for people to want to "expell me from the human race" for pointing out that obvious fact.

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense