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From: marty1@houdi.UUCP (M.BRILLIANT)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Flawed human minds
Message-ID: <1377@houdi.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Oct-87 20:35:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: houdi.1377
Posted: Wed Oct 14 20:35:32 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Oct-87 05:08:22 EDT
References: <270@uwslh.UUCP> <15196@topaz.rutgers.edu> <1368@houdi.UUCP> <331@odyssey.ATT.COM>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel
Lines: 38
Summary: There's a flaw in the argument that flaming is not a flaw

In article <331@odyssey.ATT.COM>, gls@odyssey.ATT.COM (g.l.sicherman)
writes (quoting from something I wrote):

> > Let's draw an analogy.  You are driving an X-Brand car from Pittsburgh to
> > Atlanta and halfway there it bursts into flame.  Without knowing how the
> > car works you can conclude it was flawed.
> > 
> > Mr X. goes to an employment interview and gets angry or flustered and
> > says something that causes him to be rejected.  Without knowing how his
> > mind works you can conclude it was flawed.
> 
> And you could be wrong.  Most likely Mr. X. didn't want the job after
> all.  He only wanted you to think he wanted the job.  Give him credit
> for some intelligence!
> 
> Of course Mr. X. is flawed from the company's point of view.  But he's
> flawed from his own point of view only if he can get what he wants and
> doesn't.  When this happens, the problem is not emotions but habits.

Also flawed from Mr. X's point of view.  Sicherman argues that X only
seemed to get angry or flustered, in order to make sure the company
didn't make him an offer, because during the interview he decided he
didn't want a job with them.  If I attributed Mr. X's actions to
intelligence I would expect him to conclude gracefully, let them make
an offer, and reject the offer, without making a bad impression on
somebody who later might be in a position to offer him a job in another
company.  And I don't care whether you blame emotions or habits.

> > Factually, we know the mind is flawed because we observe that it does
> > not do what we expect of it.
> 
> By this criterion, we are all flawed....

That's exactly what I meant.

M. B. Brilliant					Marty
AT&T-BL HO 3D-520	(201)-949-1858
Holmdel, NJ 07733	ihnp4!houdi!marty1