New York Times on the Web Forums Science

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?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

rshow55 - 01:08pm Oct 5, 2003 EST (# 14326 of 14369)
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.

Absence of Malice (1981) http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1000207/reviews.php?critic=columns&sortby=default&page=1&rid=809386

Nominated for three Academy Awards, this timely drama about the incredible power of the press stars Newman as a legitimate businessman who finds himself the target of an investigation.

" Absence of Malice , at first glance, seems to be about institutional ethics: What can, what will newspapers and governmental institutions do to pursue what is perceived as the common good? Later on, though, it becomes apparent that Absence of Malice is a film about individual ethics, and about what people working for societal institutions can, or will, do to pursue what those individuals perceive as the common good? The answers are surprising -- and damn entertaining.

This thread has been a big effort - and not only for me. http://www.mrshowalter.net/Sequential.htm

My guess is that this thread has covered much more on the technical aspects of missile defense than any other publicly available - though someone may point out one with more. It has dealt with more than that - and the issues involved are of direct interest to The New York Times - the readers of the TIMES - and to all people. This thread deals with basics - and basics where we have problems that need to be solved - for practical, emotional, and moral reasons - including reasons at the level of life and death.

Kids should know workable answers, in ways that matter, to the following question. From about the time they learn to talk - http://www.mrshowalter.net/PiagetCognitiveLimits.htm and adults should, too. Leaders, and leading institutions - have to deal with these issues, too.

. Absolutely every person, without exception knowingly utter falsehoods - and misleads. WHAT'S CHEATING?

The english speaking culture doesn't have workable answers to the following questions - and neither do other cultures. Piaget's The Moral Judgement of the Child deals with an interesting subject. http://www.mrshowalter.net/PiagetCognitiveLimits.htm The moral judgement of adults and insititutions is an interesting subject, too. And one connected to Missile Defense directly - because getting factually correct answers involves moral usages. WISHING WON'T MAKE STAR WARS SO http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/opinion/03FRI3.html

We need better answers than we have. Key questions recur at each of Piaget's levels above the sensorimotor - and the most key issue is vital for the youngest baby, as Erickson and others made clear. That issue is basic trust .

Cantabb is illustrating by his actions some reasons for concern - and to aid discussion I've taken the liberty of collecting a search of Cantabb 's postings on a single web page.

There have been 182 posting "by Cantabb" since September 17th - - none before. http://www.mrshowalter.net/Cantabb_Srch_to10_4.htm

I think people at different stages Piaget discusses in The Moral Judgement of the Child might have different judgements on what Cantabb is doing - and how his work is and is not "cheating."

Is it cheating to form connections - make conclusions - and check them?

We're having an argument on that basic issue. People who take the NYT - and trust it - ought to be interested in how that discussion is going, I think.

bluestar23 - 01:09pm Oct 5, 2003 EST (# 14327 of 14369)

http://www.nytimes.com/membercenter/formrops.html

Email the Moderators about rshow55 here......

bluestar23 - 01:15pm Oct 5, 2003 EST (# 14328 of 14369)

Well, Cantabb, I wish you the best, but showalter is far beyond rational commentary, he's mentally ill....I guess he's taken Ichic's advice and put people like me who interrupt his thread-hijacking on Ignore Function.....

(41 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense