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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?

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rshow55 - 03:03pm Sep 11, 2003 EST (# 13609 of 13617)
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.

Such condensations aren't "earthshaking" maybe - any more than the knowledge of how to tie your shoes is "earthshaking" - ( though that is valuable knowledge - useful in sandbox society - and later life.) But condensations can make for progress.

Most words we know - most ideas we learn - involve condensations like that - patterns that work. Scholars think that kids are figuring out the meaning of something like 1600 words at any given time - unconsciously. And adults agree about an astonishing amount - most readers of the NYT would agree about more than 100,000 word definitions. We figure a lot out. We can figure out more.

Here's a statement I'm proud of:

. "Connecting the dots" works because, when patterns are put together in different ways, and checked for internal consistency and for fit to external information workable "connections of the dots" are very sparse . So sparse that, if you keep at it - there is a very good chance that you'll make progress- and might even find exact truth in a paticular situation.

I think that's new, and important, and hopeful. Its exactly the sort of thing Eisenhower and Casey wanted me to sort out for them. I hadn't gotten very far - though I'd worked hard - and Steve Kline worked hard - on some key things. Since lchic's been helping - progress has been faster.

When things screw up, we can figure out why. If, when it matters enough - we face things, try to be honest, and keep at it .

Here's another fact . When people and groups disagree , these are key questions:

How do they disagree about logical structure ?

How do they disagree about facts ?

How do they disagree about questions of how much different things matter ?

How do they differ in thier team identifications ?

With those questions asked more often - a lot more could be sorted out between people than is now. Lying would be technically harder - and converging on good solutions would be technically easier. http://www.mrshowalter.net/DBeauty.html

The most useful ideas aren't fancy. If they're right and basic, you can teach them to kids - kids at every level above the sensorimotor on Piaget's scale http://www.mrshowalter.net/PiagetCognitiveLimits.htm - in ways that are useful.

And we can often find the useful ideas that are there to be found. It isn't hopeless. It takes work that we can do.

rshow55 - 04:12pm Sep 11, 2003 EST (# 13610 of 13617)
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.

12444 http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?8@13.F491bFRNEpn.0@.f28e622/14097

I was asked to look for stability conditions in what Kline later called "sociotechnical systems" - and asked to find end games that resulted in stable, efficient, humane function by Eisenhower.

As of now, the Bush administration refuses to face - or clarify - key questions about the logical structure, facts, weights, and team identifications and rules involved in their interaction with other groups and nations.

And refuses to face - or clarify - key questions about the logical structure, facts, weights, team identifications and rules involved in their interaction with American citizens.

That is a recipe for a "war of all against all" - an unraveling of decency - without any possibility of a decent end.

A child should be able to see that. People outside the United States are seeing that more and more clearly. There are some things to fight about - and 9/11 makes that clear.

End games are important - something I told Gisterme shortly on 9/13/2001

http://www.mrshowalter.net/a_md8000s/md8969.htm

The Bush administration - as of now - is classifying stable end games out of existence.

Foreign Views of U.S. Darken Since Sept. 11 By RICHARD BERNSTEIN http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/11/international/11OPIN.html shows a survey Unpopular America - that indicates clear failure of the Bush administration to do jobs that the reasonable defense of the United States requires.

jorian319 - 05:31pm Sep 11, 2003 EST (# 13611 of 13617)

"Give me enough dots and liberty to connect them as I see fit, and I will generate a photo-realistic picture of gisterme!"

No more dots for you Robbie - you've eaten enough already.

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New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense