Skinner, Pointman, Freedom?

[Joseph Tracy]

I think Paul's arguments hold up  well as a criticism of a false opposition in GR. P is cheating a bit. But Pynchon may be more interested in reflecting an argument taking place in the newly emerging influence of a kind of digital world view, pointing  as it were toward the yet unforseen logical implications of Pointsman's  science. Having considered Skinner and his question not whether machines think , but whether man thinks; he seems to be pointing out that this kind of thinking is the logical implication of the binary interpretaion of cell activities.  The complexity of the input and the processing may make the response follow a  probability curve, but the underlying implication for the control personality is that behavior, given enough data, is predictable,  and therefor controllable. The Machiavellians at the helm of the  current american experimant in fascism are working both the pavlovian and probability tools to remarkable effect,  partly by simply calling what they do freedom. 




Joseph Tracy
brook7 at earthlink.net
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
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