Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!texbell!ficc!jeffd
From: jeffd@ficc.uu.net (jeff daiell)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: new news top level proposed (was Re: sci.philosophy.objectivism)
Keywords: Objectivism, Rand, newsgroup, philosophy
Message-ID: <4M410G2xds8@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 17 Jan 90 17:25:41 GMT
References: <9001162348.AA11695@apee.ogi.edu> <12987@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <2M41O75xds13@ficc.uu.net>
Organization: Ferranti International Controls Corporation
Lines: 35

In article <2M41O75xds13@ficc.uu.net>, peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes:
 
> Even when Verne was writing his books, the science in them was known to
> contain huge amounts of dubious or just plain erronious information.

That may be true, but it's irrelevant.  What's relevant here is
whether he was a novelist trying to be a scientist, or a scientist -
of whatever accuracy - presenting his ideas via fiction.  Ditto
for Ayn Rand.  She was a philosopher presenting her views via
novels and plays and screenplays for the quite sensible reason that
more people read fiction than monographs.


Jeff Daiell

A partial bibliography, in case anyone wants to do research before
any vote on the newsgroup:

ANTHEM
WE THE LIVING
THE FOUNTAINHEAD
NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH
ATLAS SHRUGGED
FOR THE NEW INTELLECTUAL
CAPITALISM: THE UNKNOWN IDEAL
THE VIRTUE OF SELFISHNESS
THE NEW LEFT: THE ANTI-INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Also, if any philosophy is included under sci, then it's only
fair that this one be, also.  But I can see the point that
some postings would be less technical, which is why I
suggested the theoretical group under sci and the applications
group under talk.


-- 
  If a hungry man has water, and a thirsty man has bread,
  Then if they trade, be not dismayed, they both come out ahead.

                                   -- Don Paarlberg