Why is Python popular, while Lisp and Scheme aren't?

[Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters]

[...I combine a couple offshoots for a response...]

Laura Creighton wrote:
| Ian Hacking in _The Emergence of Probability_ claims that Zizek has it
| precisely backwards... if you go along with pious people, give up bad
| habits, follow a life of 'holy water and sacraments' intended to
| 'supefy one' into belief, you will become a believer.

Hmmm...  I agree with Hacking here.  But it is not clear why Hacking
thinks he is disagreeing with Zizek by writing that.  I should pick up
_Emergence_; I've only read _Representing and Intervening_ and _The
Social Construction of What_.

More Laura Creighton:
| Relevance?  It sounds to me as if in 'desiring to like LISP' but
| disliking the brackets, you are akin to a person who professes as
| desire to like 'Eternal Life and Personal Salvation' -- but finds
| 'getting up before noon on Sundays and going to the Church' too much
| to ask <wink>.

Then Pascal Costanza:
| People who dislike Lisp because of the parens haven't yet (fully)
| understood the essence of Lisp.  I have said this several times before
| - the most important feature of Lisp is that code and data are the
| same.

I don't disagree with Laura or Pascal here.  I recognize that Lispers
are good and honorable people whose devotion and piety is evident, and
whose pursuit of the true path through good deed brings them reward in
this life and the next.

If only I could awake before noon, and follow the commandments and the
sacraments, I am quite certain I would understand why my shallow use of
apply() and map(), and my insincere use of higher-order functions is a
form of accidie[*].

If-not-sincerely-at-least-truthfully-your-ly, Lulu...

[*] E.g. http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/western/bldef_accidie.htm
(but I actually know it from Rom Harre's, _Personal Being_).

--
    _/_/_/ THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Postmodern Enterprises _/_/_/
   _/_/    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[mertz at gnosis.cx]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  _/_/
  _/_/  The opinions expressed here must be those of my employer...   _/_/
 _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Surely you don't think that *I* believe them!  _/_/