Re: virus: Guns for Peace

Eric Boyd (6ceb3@qlink.queensu.ca)
Thu, 25 Mar 1999 16:42:27 -0500

Hi,

Tim Rhodes <proftim@speakeasy.org> writes:

<<
>What you are missing (again) is that punishment and pain, per say,
are
>not helpful -- they do not help people learn, instead they induce
>coercion damage, destroy creativity and make people less rational.

Is this just a startling over-generalization or do you scientific studies to back up this wonderfully idealistic claim?
>>

The TCS journal would be the source for any such information, if any is actually available.

http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~tcs/Journal/tcsjournal.html

TCS theory is too young to have done any meaningful scientific studies (which would have to be done over a twenty-year child-raising period), and, besides, such issues are notoriously hard to "control" for. However, that said, I think it's fairly east to argue from the definition of coercion to the effects cited, as well as fairly easy to see in others, once you know what you're looking for. (but hard to see in oneself, and even harder to correct -- the exact effect of coercion damage)

http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~tcs/FAQ/FAQShortGlossary.html

ERiC