I SUPPOSE I HAVE ONLY MYSELF TO BLAME FOR PICKING SUCH A BIG FIGHT IN MY EARLIER POST ENTITLED:
"A CHALLENGE TO THE WST DISCUSSION GROUP"
BUT THAT IS RISK TAKING AT ITS BEST/WORST (TAKE YOUR PICK).
ANYWAY, I GOT A FEW REPLIES AND HAVE MONITORED SOME OF THE OTHER TANGENT COMMENTS SET-OFF BY MY CHALLENGE.
I AM SAD TO REPORT THAT THE DISCUSSION QUICKLY DEGENERATED INTO DISCRETE TOPIC BICKERING (THE STATUS QUO FOR MANY LIST MEMBERS APPARENTLY) AND THE TRAIN RAN OFF THE TRACKS SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING THE STATION. BY AND LARGE THE RESPONSES TENDED TO INDIRECTLY PROVE WHAT I WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT. THE TOWER OF BABEL RUNNETH OVER!
NO ONE, REPEAT NO ONE, HAS MADE A COHERENT REPLY TO THE SUBSTANCE OF MY CHALLENGE, NOR ANY SUGGESTIONS ABOUT WHERE TO GO FROM HERE.
SOMETIMES I THINK I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THAT FACTORY JOB AND JOINED THAT ANARCHIST UNION, BECAUSE AT LEAST ONE OCCASIONALLY GETS A FREE BEER WITH THEIR FUTILITY.
IN GENERAL IT APPEARS THAT MY CHALLENGE WAS EITHER NOT UNDERSTOOD OR MISUNDERSTOOD OR MERELY A CONVENIENT DEPARTURE POINT FOR PERSONAL AGENDAS. I WOULD SHARE SOME OF THE RESPONSES, BUT I FEAR BEING KICKED OFF WST LIST FOR WASTING INTELLECTUAL BANDWIDTH.
I DID RECEIVE TWO RESPLIES THAT SOMEWHAT ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM, ONE FROM A FINE FELLOW IN CUBA OF ALL PLACES (LET IT NOT BE SAID I AM NOT DOING MY PART FOR JOB SECURITY AT THE NSA-STATE DEPARTMENT INTERNET MONITORING UNIT). BUT THESE REPLIES AMOUNT TO WAIT-AND-SEE SIGN-UPS.
OK, ENOUGH WHINING... WHAT ABOUT SOLUTIONS?
I HAVE THE FOLLOWING PROPOSAL:
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A UNIFIED WST KNOWLEDGE-BASE SHOULD BE DEVELOPED THAT INTEGRATES:
SYSTEMS THEORY
BIOLOGY AND ITS RELATED DISCIPLINES
SOCIOLOGY AND ITS RELATED DISCIPLINES
OTHER VALID KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS (QUANTITATIVE OR QUALITATIVE)
THIS KNOWLEDGE-BASE COULD BE USED TO CARRY ON PUBLIC POLICY CAMPAIGNS AND SIMILAR PRACTICAL ACTION. IT COULD ALSO BE A SOURCE FOR VARIOUS JOURNALS, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND RESEARCH EFFORTS.
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF THE KNOWLEDGE-BASE WOULD BE A DISTRIBUTED TASK, WHEREIN THERE WOULD BE AREA SPECIALISTS WHO WOULD PROPOSED ADDITIONS AND MODIFICATIONS TO A SECTION. THE PROPOSED CONTENT WOULD BE CROSS-EVALUATED BY THE WST LIST MEMBERS (WHERE WE CAN BICKER AD NAUSIM) AND THEN FINALIZED FOR INCORPORATION INTO THE KNOWLEDGE-BASE. EVERYTHING WOULD BE CAREFULLY INDEXED AND TRACKED TO ENSURE ONGOING DATA AND INTELLECTUAL INTEGRITY (AND OF COURSE WE CAN HAVE HUGE FIGHTS ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES INTEGRITY).
I WOULD ESTIMATE THAT BUILDING SUCH A KNOWLEDGE-BASE AS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT WOULD TAKE ABOUT SIX MONTHS AND MOST LIST MEMBERS WOULD WANT TO CONTRIBUTE AN HOUR OR TWO A WEEK TO ITS CONSTRUCTION. MOST LIST MEMBERS WOULD SIMPLY BE RE-PURPOSING CONTENT THEY HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED (SO ANY COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES WOULD STAY WITH THEM, THUS A CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE-BASE WOULD BE "WITH PERMISSION OF THE ORIGINATOR"). A SIDE BENEFIT OF THIS ACTIVITY WOULD BE HAVING A LARGER FRAMEWORK AGAINST WHICH TO CONSIDER INDIVIDUAL IDEAS.
ANYONE WHO CONTRIBUTES TO THE KNOWLEDGE-BASE BECOMES A LISTED CONTRIBUTOR (RATHER LIKE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TEAMS). AS SUCH, THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM AND THE KNOWLEDGE-BASE IS PROTECTED BY INTERNATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW.
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THERE ARE MANY DETAILS AND LOGISTICS TO WORK OUT BUT I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO RECEIVE SOME FEEDBACK REGARDING THE SPECIFIC PROPOSAL.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO INTEND TO SHOOT DOWN THE IDEA FOR BEING IMPRACTICAL OR SOME SORT OF DUPLICATION OF EFFORT, PLEASE SUPPLY SPECIFIC DETAILS AND CONTACT NAMES/NUMBERS/EMAILS. I WILL FOLLOW-UP ON LEGITIMATE EVIDENCE AND REPORT BACK TO THE LIST MEMBERS.
FEEL FREE TO AMEND YOUR "SPECIFIC REPLIES" TO THE PROPOSAL WITH ANY TIRADES, TREATISES AND CONDEMNATION OF MY SOUL AND PURPOSE FOR EARTHLY EXISTENCE AS YOU SEE FIT.
FINALLY, I THINK THE UNIFIED WST KNOWLEDGE-BASE WOULD BE A GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE MANY EFFORTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER AND I CAN THINK OF NO OTHER IMPORTANT TASK. ALTHOUGH, SLINGING BRAIN MUD IS A CLOSE SECOND.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN....
RANDALL BURTON
PS- I TYPE IN ALL CAPS TO DISTINGUISH MY TEXT FROM OTHERS AND AS YOU CAN TELL, I PREFER SARCASM TO SHOUTING.