After carefully reading the many recent posts on this topic, I would like to strongly suggest that those on the list who want to discuss matters of faith, and that includes the faith in evolution, chaos, complexity, or God, please take them to another forum. As I understand it, the Squeak community is one based on a common interest in using and advancing certain software technologies, not personal ideologies (scientific, religious, or otherwise). It is one thing to discuss astrophysical simulation (at any scale) or generative variation/selection (evolutionary) algorithms, but this "we, the enlightened of science" vs "they, the endarkened of faith" kind of discussion presumes a uniformity of belief on this list and presses a defacto statement of faith on its membership. I do not think any of us either believe this uniformity exists or want this result, so please have some consideration for those of your Squeak "brethren"(and "sistren" !) who may not share your ideology or wish to discuss it on this list.
Do we really want this already very full list to be cluttered with such things? If you quote Dawkins or Kaufman (both of which I read), not for technical reference but in defense of your ideology, how would you react if others quote Jesus, Paul, or selections from Ecclesiastes (which I also read, and believe) with equal force in defence of theirs? Innapropriate for the list? "Go and do likewise" - Jesus
As for the *content* of applications that some member of the list *uses* Squeak to create, I do not believe the list should stand in judgement as an open forum. What anyone posts on BobsSuperSwiki, like any swiki, is their own responsibility, unless of course the swiki master sets and enforces limits. This should be true for the 8 year old in an open school, the members of SqC or anyone else. How would you react to a long discussion on the list of the literary and spiritual merits of an interactive essay on the book of Philippians or, say, an interactive essay on comparative religion from an Islamic perspective? But would that essay be allowed on the SuperSwiki as an example use of Squeak technology?
My point is this. If we succeed in creating a truly wonderful environment for dynamic and interactive media, and succeed in getting many in the world to use it, they will create there own content without our permission or ideological agreement. As a technologist, that is what I expect and that's good enough for me. As a christian, I choose to take my stand on matters of faith in other forums. Go and do likewise.
Sam S. Adams, IBM Distinguished Engineer, IBM Research tie line 444-0736, outside 919-254-0736, email: ssadams@us.ibm.com <<Hebrews 11:6, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 1:16-17, I Corinthians 1:10>>
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