[MD] Emergent Consciousness

[ian glendinning]

Sorry Platt, probably no can do.
You'll need to sell it to me ... the point that is.

Supending disbelief for 250 pages now, is OK, but not for 1000 pages.

It's dreadfully schoolboy's own stuff, with lousy engineering, lousy
metallurgy, lousy physics, lousy politics, OK business, OK morality
(triumph of the will, stuff), and even a little supense (though the
plot is littered with easy hooks) but the sex takes the biscuit.
Heroine (so far) in "a man's world" written by a woman, and every
scene describes what she's wearing with added choice lines like "the
soft material of her pristine white blouse was pressed against her
breast by the wind from the locomotion" and variations on that theme.
Will she, won't she, will they, won't they. Gimme a break from Mills &
Boon.

Tell me why I'm reading it.
The question is "what is depravity". And her answer is ... ?
Put me out of my misery. I'm fine with a spoiler or two; cut to the chase.

You are the one with the solidified cast patterns. I have plenty to
lose. Many productive hours of my time to add dynamic value. Although
they listen to music (single composer, occasionally) I don't see
Rand's characters wasting such valuable time reading 1000 word tomes.
Like me they "just do it" (so far).

Surprise me.
Ian



On 7/15/06, Platt Holden <pholden at davtv.com> wrote:
> Ian:
>
> Read on, McDuff. You have nothing to lose but some static ideas. :-)
>
> Platt
>
> > Platt, earlier in this thread, before you and I eventually got to
> > "first-base" on emergence from interactions (aka Quality), you threw in
> > here "You should read Atlas Shrugged"
> >
> > Having previously read some of Rand's non-fictional philosophical
> > work, I've not been impressed with her apparent stereotypical
> > "objectivisim" - that won't surprise you - in fact I've blogged about it
> > in previous years and "moved on".
> >
> > Anyway given your repeated plea, I have actually obtained and started to
> > read Atlas Shrugged. Given that I'm about 180 pages through my 1000 page
> > edition, I need to know why I'm reading it ?
> >
> > The curiosity keeping me going so far is "why did Platt recommend it,
> > what message did Platt think I would take away from it." I'd be
> > interested to know.
> >
> > There are plenty of characters, central and incidental, that say a
> > wide range of philosophical (and political) things about business and
> > motivation. Some of it convincing, some of it claptrap (some of
> > deliberately so, some of it maybe unintended no doubt). The point is,
> > given that I'm sticking my neck out at this point less than 20% of the
> > way through, I can see all the set-ups that are going to get resolved or
> > turned on their heads as we go along. Suspending disbelief for a moment,
> > that Rand is a "clever" novelist I could be interested in how some of
> > those turn out, despite the fact that there are a lot of fictional
> > elements I find hard to swallow - as an engineer with (real) interests
> > from metallurgy to business operation and management.
> >
> > But I have the sneaking suspicion the characters whose opinions I find
> > credible are the ones you (and Rand) will conclude are speaking
> > claptrap. Where does this story actually take us as far as morals and
> > purpose, capitalism and social engineering are concerned. Platt ?
> >
> > Ian
> > PS - What makes me really nervous is that all the "glowing credits" to
> > "Rand's genius" on the back and inside covers are all from the "The Ayn
> > Rand Institute", not from any credible independent sources. I must be
> > some kinda mug ?
>
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