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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!tlh
From: tlh@akgua.UUCP (T.L. Harris [Tom])
Newsgroups: net.college
Subject: Re: Does someone REALLY belive this? - (nf)
Message-ID: <1084@akgua.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Nov-84 09:27:31 EST
Article-I.D.: akgua.1084
Posted: Mon Nov 12 09:27:31 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Nov-84 08:29:16 EST
References: <1668@ucf-cs.UUCP>, <32400006@uiucdcs.UUCP>, <396@ihu1h.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Technologies/Bell Labs, Atlanta
Lines: 19

...
What matters most in this discussion is not that the ability 
to do arithmatic is lost, but that the knowledge of why the
arithmatic works will be lost. I am not a promoter of the
"Black-box" concept, where input goes in, and output comes
out, and to hell with what happened in between.

Results are fine if you can have confidence in those results. Do
you feel confident when the young cashier haltingly counts out 
your changs during a power outage? Do you know how and why your
car runs? Do you care? You might some day when you break down
miles from home. 

I make use of these wonderful new tools. I marval at their speed
and versitility. I can do so because I know what they are doing
and why they produce what they produce.

Why is more important than What!
...