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On 15 Jun, 2013, at 8:28 pm, Simon Avery wrote:
On 15 Jun, 2013, at 6:55 pm, Paul Sutton wrote:"Microsoft basher" is one of the very few brands I *will* wear, and I willwear it with pride. I equate it with "truthful witness"."The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye; the more light you pourupon it, the more it will contract."
But once again, this non-argument does not work, since it is not clear that it does not apply equally if not more strongly to the opposing view that Microsoft cannot possibly be a bad thing or we wouldn't all be paying them.
And frankly, given the amount of evidence and depth of reasoning I've brought to this topic on this list... well, I'm shocked to be called a bigot. A bigot works from ignorance, paranoia, and above all, prejudice. None of these apply.
There is a kind of mental failing that occurs frequently among people who value reason and reasonability but whose training in science, mathematics or formal logic is in some sense incomplete. They believe that since it is so often useful and important, and sometimes essential, to doubt and question your own thinking, it is therefore always wrong to reach and express a firm and final judgement. But when evidence and reason are conclusive, they are conclusive; nothing further is necessary, desirable or possible. Forming a judgement you know you can support and communicating it forthrightly then is not only permissible, it is essential, and *not* to do so is silly, at best, dishonest and cowardly at worst.
By all means attack and hate them for specific reasons,
Thanks. I will. You too!
but if you do it just because they're Microsoft
I think this is what they call a "tautology".
then every other argument you make will be tarred with the stain of bigotry.
The conclusion cannot follow, because the premise is flawed.
There is much to dislike about MS, and I'm no fan of them by any means, butnot everything they have ever done was bad.
Go on. -- Phil Hudson http://hudson-it.no-ip.biz @UWascalWabbit PGP/GnuPG ID: 0x887DCA63 -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq