22-09-2004 10:58									#331
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It's kinda like creating a new, better argument for something.

	22-09-2004 12:14									#332
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quote: All kidding aside, I don't think Aggie would be a bad professor. I've known plenty of biased professors who can act very neutral or be very interesting without offending in the classroom.

Every professor has views, some of us choose not to bring them into the classroom - except perhaps in exceptional circumstances.

Most of my students have no idea of my politics (some thought I was a religious fundy, which amused me no end).

I've called Bush an idiot a couple of times when asked by students what I thought of him, but I left it at that.

Some students do this too. I met an old student of mine today and discovered to my surprise that he is a raving commie. I had no idea. He's started up his own business selling T-Shirts of Yuri Gagarin and Subcommandante Marcos.

	22-09-2004 18:50									#333
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi What are they being asked to write, if I may ask? Technical reports? I'm not surprised then that the English students are having problems. Unless they have some prior experience in the field, and some understanding of the technical side, then they are basically wasted in your company.

They write manuals, given information from the developers. They also write FAQs and various support stuff like that for the web.

English writers aren't very useful if they can't do anything applied.

	22-09-2004 18:52									#334
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi All I know is that when I write a paper for English, the paper is still readable even if I miss a semicolon.

So are algorithms.

You're confusing algorithms with programming...

Algorithms are frequently defined in "pseudocode", or even in math terms. They're put into programming languages later, and the process of doing that is not algorithm development, but programming.

quote: Writing a better algorithm I guess is like editing, looking over the paper, and finding a better way to make things work. I can see an analogy between the two.

Writing an algorithm is not coding. Implementing an algorithm in code, is coding...

	22-09-2004 18:54									#335
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quote: some thought I was a religious fundy

Hehehe

quote: I've called Bush an idiot a couple of times when asked by students what I thought of him

I'm sure in Canada that is by far the majority opinion, so you may not have tipped your hand by saying so .

	22-09-2004 18:55									#336
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi Perhaps because religion provides a benefit to society far beyond their compensation by the state.

Others argue religion causes harm to society.

But it doesn't matter anyway, this argument is a fun one. I think if everyone had lots of sex, the society would be better. Yet I do not think having public prostitutes subsidized by the government is appropriate either.

	22-09-2004 18:56									#337
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi So the market ! = benefit to society? Obviously then, the lawyers which make way more money then you are providing more of a benefit to society.

Actually, that sounds about right. I'm only a 20-year old intern, after all.

	22-09-2004 19:08									#338
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quote: Originally posted by Agathon Some thought I was a religious fundy, which amused me no end.

Well, I can see where they're coming from... I mean, commies, fundies, both rely on blind faith in their irrational beliefs

	22-09-2004 20:53									#339
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quote: It can be both. It takes incredible creative ability to be able to think up new mathematical problems, let alone the solutions... ascertaining whether something is true may be straightforward (and yet look at things like Fermat's last theorem...), but coming up with a true thing, or a solution to a true relation, is not.

Thank you.

The prosecution rests.

This is my case for philosophy being as rigourous as mathematics.

	22-09-2004 20:55									#340
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quote: Most of my students have no idea of my politics (some thought I was a religious fundy, which amused me no end).

Well, if you are teaching virtue ethics, I can see that.

	22-09-2004 21:07									#341
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quote: Others argue religion causes harm to society.

How so? Have they had a chance to receive the benefits of religion, or do they spurn such entreaties?

quote: But it doesn't matter anyway, this argument is a fun one. I think if everyone had lots of sex, the society would be better. Yet I do not think having public prostitutes subsidized by the government is appropriate either.

Why not? Clearly, if sex with prostitutes is beneficial to the state, then you should support their subsidy.

Or is it that to have lots of sex does not require seeking prostitutes?

	22-09-2004 21:12									#342
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quote: They write manuals, given information from the developers. They also write FAQs and various support stuff like that for the web.

Seems to me, mostly technical stuff. They will be much more helpful if they know something about the field in which they are writing, particularly for the FAQs.

quote: English writers aren't very useful if they can't do anything applied.

And neither are applied folks who don't know how to present their ideas.

Best to have a balance, to do as my dad did, getting an English degree plus professional qualifications, or to do it the other way around, to get a science degree with other experience writing.

	22-09-2004 21:19									#343
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi Thank you. The prosecution rests. This is my case for philosophy being as rigourous as mathematics.

You haven't done so at all.

Being creative and being rigorous are not mutually exclusive.

	22-09-2004 21:49									#344
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi Thank you. The prosecution rests. This is my case for philosophy being as rigourous as mathematics.

You just shown that you don't know much about mathematics really...

Finding the solution requires creativity, but the solution must be totally rigorous, verifyable step by step to a degree much higher than philosophy, much higher than any other human construct actually.

	22-09-2004 21:58									#345
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi How so? Have they had a chance to receive the benefits of religion, or do they spurn such entreaties?

They believe that religion divides us more than it unites us, and introduces opposition to societal progress (see the religious-right in the US and their history for social progress).

quote: Why not? Clearly, if sex with prostitutes is beneficial to the state, then you should support their subsidy.

Because it exploits the prostitutes.

quote: Or is it that to have lots of sex does not require seeking prostitutes?

It does, to guarantee people like you to get laid.

Some of us have a natural talent.

	23-09-2004 00:10									#346
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quote: Well, if you are teaching virtue ethics, I can see that.

Well spotted.