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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

rshowalter - 08:18pm Apr 17, 2001 EST (#2335 of 2338)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I believe, and I think Dawn Riley believes, that when human beings think well, either individually, or as parts of groups, they think in this sort of way.

I believe that is true of me. I think it has to be true of the people I know well.

"Schema" - the "theories in their heads" are the most compelling reality that people can know.

This process of "forming beauty" -- making sense of the world -- can be remarkably creative and satisfactory. But it can be treacherous when wrong conclusions are reached.

Moreover, people become intensely attached (emotionally and organically connected) to the ideas in their head, and when ideas clash -- people can get angry, can dehumanize each other, and can fight and kill.

Russians and Westerners see many things differently.

(Years ago, I can remember, again and again, liking the Russian way of going at mathematics better - and being amazed how very different the patterns were.)

Because we see things differently, there can be, and often is, powerful hostility, and consistent, organized unfairness, on both sides.

It is worse than it looks, because we are all "a little lower than the angels" and, though we are warm and helpful to people who are "one of us" -- we are, as animals, for quite natural reasons, brutal to "outsiders."

baxter46a - 08:19pm Apr 17, 2001 EST (#2336 of 2338)

Another way to look at it is: Things are so ugly, Missiles," people" and in general. That when you do find any thing of beauty
In Missiles,people and in general. Enjoy it and partake of the beauty
Your writing is great. I read it for weeks
I will get back with you, I follow your sermon links ect...I have learned a lot! I like the OSS and Sermon links the best. Keep up the great work. Thanks.

rshowalter - 08:34pm Apr 17, 2001 EST (#2337 of 2338)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

These things connect closely to the questions raised in almarst-2001 4/17/01 1:43pm and almarst-2001 4/17/01 2:09pm .

How can Americans, and other Westerners be so curiously wrong, so massively unfair, so "dirty" in Russian eyes, and yet so cocksure?

Alas, all too easily.

Since the West is now "up" and Russia "down" -- it may look especially bad for us.

But Russia has all the same problems, too.

rshowalter - 08:45pm Apr 17, 2001 EST (#2338 of 2338)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

On all sides, we need to be less confident of our schema, and more careful of our facts, and the consistency relations needed to deal with these facts.

In its internal affairs, Russia needs this even more than American does in her internal affairs. And American needs to demuddle on some key things.

In the area of military balances, and especially in the area of nuclear weapons, it is vital in the old, bald, life-and-death sense that we get some muddled ideas tested. Rejected. And more workable ideas substituted for them.

I'm taking a break --- I'll organize some things tonight, and I'll write some more in the morning.

To close for tonight, I still think that something like the suggestion of MD266-269
rshowalt 9/25/00 7:32am
rshowalt 9/25/00 7:33am
rshowalt 9/25/00 7:35am
rshowalt 9/25/00 7:36am
ought to be seriously considered, and that, some way or other, we should see to it that the world survives.

With nuclear arrangments as they are, I'm afraid that it is likely that the world will end.

We ought to fix that.

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