Mr. Keen reminds me of certain fusspots of the Renaissance who
disparaged efforts to use the vernacular tongues of Europe for serious
work (whether scholarly, artistic, diplomatic or commercial).<br>
<br>
With the evidence of Dante and the Troubadours before them (and later Cervantes and Shakespeare), they
continued to bewail the trend toward barbarous tongues. Seriously out
of touch dudes were still writing epic poems in Latin at the end of the
17th century. Many believed that they belonged to a higher world in
which all who speak of art or science had been vetted, and even
received into some secret society. Their frontispieces made sure to
kiss the arse of everyone in their fields who wrote in Latin.<br>
<br>
And with some readily comprehensible concern, they feared the
break-up/down of knowledge, the chaos sure to follow upon the loss of a
common sign system enabling men of Science to understand each other.<br>
<br>
Then, poof.<br>
<br>
Tom Matrullo<br>
<a href="mailto:matrullo@gmail.com">matrullo@gmail.com</a><br>
<br>
+ My background has roots in comparative literature and in journalism.
I've been profitably reading this list for a while - first post.<br>
<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 8/24/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Stephen Downes</b> <<a href="mailto:stephen@downes.ca">stephen@downes.ca</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
Hiya,<br>
<br>
I wasn't thinking of Jeff Howe or Wired when I wrote my comment, but...<br>
<br>
Howe, Jeff wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite"><span class="q">
<pre>The fact is, if you fail<br>to show up for the debate, the other side wins. No one in the audience will<br>know your absence signals your belief that your opponent is beneath<br>contempt. We donšt get to pick our ideological opponents.
<br> </pre></span>
</blockquote>
I wrote this and posted it widely, calling Wired a sell-out and
corporate shill.<br>
<a href="http://www.downes.ca/wired/conclusion.htm" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.downes.ca/wired/conclusion.htm</a><br>
<br>
The writers at Wired never responded, of course.<br>
<br>
Now either I won that argument, and Wired was a sell-out and corporate
shill, and I am therefore not unjustified in making such remarks today,
or<br>
<br>
You <i>can</i> pick your ideological opponents, in which case, I am
not unjustified in wondering why Jeff Howe and others would promote
someone peddling such "snake oil" to prominence.<br><span class="sg">
<br>
-- Stephen</span><span class="q"><br>
<pre cols="72">-- <br>---<br><br>Stephen Downes ~ Researcher ~ National Research Council Canada<br><a href="http://www.downes.ca" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.downes.ca
</a> ~ <a href="mailto:stephen@downes.ca" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">stephen@downes.ca</a> ** Free Learning</pre>
</span></div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Tom<br>==<br><a href="mailto:matrullo@gmail.com">matrullo@gmail.com</a>