From: rescorla@rtnmr.chem.yale.edu (Eric Rescorla)
Subject: Re: BofA and UW can now support discrimination against blacks and Jews
Organization: Rescorla for himself.
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 02:58:39 GMT

In article <piqhjko@zola.esd.sgi.com> livesey@solntze.esd.sgi.com (Jon Livesey) writes:
>In article <1992Sep8.012821.26909@cs.yale.edu>, rescorla@rtnmr.chem.yale.edu (Eric Rescorla) writes:
>|> In article <pio27c8@zola.esd.sgi.com> livesey@solntze.esd.sgi.com (Jon Livesey) writes:
>Skepticism is almost always an acceptable thought pattern.
I'm so glad that I'm not engaging in badthink.

>|> >So probably we would all be better off with you letting people 
>|> >live the life they feel best with, so long as they don't harm 
>|> >other people doing it.   
>|> And who said I wasn't doing that?
>|> This, Mr. Livesey, is the second time you have implied that
>|> I am trying to control the lives of others. Do you have any
>|> reason to believe this?
>
>Only what you yourself write.        For example, from  <1992Sep7.154140.22115@cs.yale.edu> you write:
>
>    "If I wish that people not treat me equally well, but 
>    "help" me (I.e. try to make me straight) if I am gay, 
>    then I would naturally treat others in the same way.
>
>When I read "try to make me XXX", I think that someone is 
>going to be doing something to try to control someone.
>
>And when you label this as 'natural', then I think that
>you agree with the attempt.  
Then, you, sir, think incorrectly.
Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the word "if." Allow me to
help you parse my sentence.
Remember we're assuming golden rule here.(That's how the discussion
started)

If ((!I wish that people treat me equally well) &&
(I wish that:(If I were gay, people would try to make me straight))

Then:
(I would try to make gay people straight)

Now, note the assumptions here, sir:
1) !I wish that people treat me equally well.
2) I wish that:(If I were gay, people would try to make me
straight.)
3) The Golden rule.

Now, Mr. Livesey, I have professed belief in none of these
three. And yet you have somehow arrived at the belief that
I believe in the conclusion. Perhaps you can explain your
reasoning, but I doubt it.
Perhaps, sir, you should THINK before you flame.

>Of course, if what you really meant was that trying to 
>"make someone straight" is always unacceptable without 
>their explicit request, no matter what other people might
>think about it, then I agree.
No, that would be a moral statement that I would be unwilling
to make.

I'm not going to respond to your previous flame on the
article you cite here. I think I've made my point clear.

Once again, sir, you have jumped to a completely unsupported
conclusion. I believe you owe me an apology. Are
you gentleman enough to offer it?

-Ekr



-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Rescorla, DoD#431 (Nighthawk S)              rescorla@rtnmr.chem.yale.edu
Former chemist now CM400 mechanic                 ekr@eitech.com(preferred)
                       I will hack Unix for food.
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