Still no new license -- but draft text available

[John W. Stevens]

Alex Martelli wrote:
> 
> "John W. Stevens" <jstevens at basho.fc.hp.com> wrote in message
> news:39996FC9.A4926C8 at basho.fc.hp.com...
> > Alex Martelli wrote:
> > >
> > > From a theoretical POV, the answer to the latter question is (or
> > > could be) "comparative advantage".  That's quite a different
> > > economic concept from _competitive_ advantage (such as, say, a
> > > trade secret or patent can convey) and was first introduced (or
> > > at least analyzed, demonstrated and expounded) by economist
> > > David Ricardo, a couple centuries ago, in the context of trade
> > > between countries (http://www.systemics.com/docs/ricardo/david.html).
> >
> > [Great stuff snipped]
> >
> > Your reply illustrates your reply . . . rather recursive, actually.
> >
> > Leave economics to the economists.
> 
> That would be like leaving English to the Lit majors (foreign-languages
> majors, in my case, I guess): a rather silly option.

Really?  I don't see how leaving the deconstruction of four hundred year
old literature to experts is a silly option, but hey, if you need to do
that, then you do what everybody else has to do when they need
expertise: you become an expert, or hire an expert.

> As one needs to
> communicate, there needs to be some direct mastery of the means --

Ah.  You were refering to simply learning to communicate . . . a task
you began before you were born, and probably continue to this day.  Just
how would deconstruction of ancient English literature help you do that,
though?  ;-)

English Literature is not about learning to communicate well using
English . . . it is the study of English Literature.

> delegating it all is just unfeasible (how would you communicate to
> your delegate what he is to communicate of, if you could not yourself
> communicate...?-).

Which kind of belies the old chestnut of: "You Computer guys need to
learn to communicate!"  :-)

Obviously you need the neophyte's grasp of economics.  But you should
not let a neophyte set economic policy, any more than you should let a
Neuro Surgeon write mission critical software.

> As one needs to take decisions, there needs to be
> some direct mastery of the tools -- delegating it all is just unfeasible
> (how would you decide what to delegate, if you could not decide...?-).

By one of the most basic of human relationships: trust.

> The "practical man", the one he think he can leave economics to the
> economists, is just the slave of some dead economist without even
> knowing he is.

But that is not only perfectly true . . . it is unavoidably true.  You
cannot be an expert at everything.  At one point or another, you must
trust someone else.  The only reasonable response, then, is to carefully
choose who you will put your trust in.

-- 

If I spoke for HP --- there probably wouldn't BE an HP!

John Stevens
jstevens at basho.fc.hp.com