Re: GUT and P=NP

(flashing philosophical credentials) :-P

All this stuff about existing in mind and existing in reality reminds me of
St. Anselm's proof of the existence of god (Hettinga's Hashed Layman's
Version 1.0(tm)):

1. Conceive of perfection.
2. You have just demonstrated that perfection can exist in mind.
3. It is more perfect to exist in mind and in reality
   than to exist solely in mind.
4. Define god as perfection.
5. Therefore god exists.

Now this Midieval brainbuster was pretty much beat to death sometime in the
Enlightment, though somebody respectable in the late 19th century (Frege?)
liked it a lot...

This GUT and P=NP thing smells awfully like scholastic bickering, don't ya
think?

Just my (unmathematical) opinion...


Bob Hettinga

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Robert Hettinga  (rah@shipwright.com) "There is no difference between someone
Shipwright Development Corporation     who eats too little and sees Heaven and
44 Farquhar Street                       someone who drinks too much and sees
Boston, MA 02331 USA                       snakes." -- Bertrand Russell
(617) 323-7923

Since Robert Hettinga specifically addressed his post to me, I presume
he had me in mind when he wrote:

> (flashing philosophical credentials) :-P
> 
> 
> This GUT and P=NP thing smells awfully like scholastic bickering, don't ya
> think?

Look, I'm fed up with people giving advice on how such-and-such a
topic is "far afield" form what they want to hear about.

I'm especially unamused by folks (not Robert H., by the way) writing
up a long post and then ending with a statement to the effect "But
this is really not a crypto subject, so I suggest we not discuss this
further."!!

Translation: "I just wrote two pages on this, but I want the last
word."

I mean no insult by this...at least one of the frequent offenders here
I also count as my friend. Im just pointing out the absurdity of it.
If one thinks a topic is unimportant to the topics at hand, DON'T
COMMENT!

Equally absurd are all the anti-Detweiler posts, which simply gives
him the attention from us he craves so much. (Even this post will. But
then I'm not writing "Can't we just stop talking about Detweiler?"
posts, unless this is counted as such, ironically.)

What I'm saying is this:

* if a topic bores you, delete it, or filter it. 

* but don't moralize about it as being "off-topic," when it clearly is
"on-topic' to some people--the house of Cypherpunks has many rooms.

* especially don't be so nervy as to write a long rebuttal to some
post and then end with a suggestion that no further discussion is
needed.

That's what I have to say. And having said it, may I suggest that this
is not really a crypto issue, and hence could you all just take my
words as the last ones on this subject? (:-} for the smiley-impaired)

----Tim May


-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
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W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
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