Thursday, December 6, 2012

What's wrong today?

More exposure of our can't do attitude.
...it took 16 days to build the first functioning nuclear reactor. Nowadays it takes an average of about 16 years...
For mars colonization, only those with a can do attitude need apply.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you spend a bit too much effort on can't-do as opposed to the very real anti-do that prevents so much accomplishment. There are plenty of can do people around, if you can get the anti-do people out of their way. As you mention, 35M miles would do nicely for a start.

ken_anthony said...

Very good observation. It is one thing to not believe. It is quite another to actively oppose others for no good reason.

How does it hurt the anti-doers to let the can-doers have their liberty?

Anonymous said...

For most of the anti-does, there is ONE RIGHT WAY to do anything. That ORW is always their way and any contrary arguments or evidence hurts their position.

Churches are often in a ORW position such that any opposing argument is heresy. The cynical view would be that contrary evidence hurts the collection plate.

In the space field, it is more often that giving up a long held position is considered heresy because it hurts the pride of those that have invested many years of their identity with the doctrine position.

For a start, letting the can-does have their liberty would hurt the pride of the anti-doers. Consider the war on drugs in relation to prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s and early 1930s. When prohibition ended, the murder rate dropped and alcohol became harder for minors to get because the legal stores had licenses to lose. The pride of those involved in the drug war will extend the cost, (human and monetary) for decades.

Space has many similar issues with the NASA pride involved. Think Mark Whittington times millions.

john hare

ken_anthony said...

Sadly, this is so true of many human endeavors.

Humility is not truly appreciated for its great value.