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Strategies & Market Trends : Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: skinowski who wrote (109140)	2/28/2010 10:06:31 PM
From: Hawkmoon	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116555

"If you want to find out something, Are you going to ask one man who knows, or a hundred men who don't know?" Sometimes you have to ask 100 people in order to identify that one special person. Diamonds are always found in the dirt... (or Kimberlite) Some of the greatest conflagrations in the history of mankind were perpetrated by one man who had convinced millions that he "knew" the way... Thus, I tend to prefer to believe that we should be more frightened of someone who is convinced they are correct, but unwilling to have their ideas contested and debated publicly. I also tend to distrust those who can't present their ideas/models in layman's terms that even common folk can grasp. I often adopt an "adamant" air in presenting my ideas. But my purpose in doing so is to motivate someone to prove where I'm incorrect. I can appreciate someone who can present their views in a manner which requires me to do some serious research. Truth is often a moving target. And it often possesses multiple facets that no one individual can fully grasp. I think this is particularly the case with the Social Sciences, and especially Economics and Political Science. We cannot treat any of the social sciences like engineering a bridge. The models, no matter how clever they've been crafted, will eventually fail. Socrates must have been an incredibly annoying guy. Diogenes was always the one I thought most interesting. And this was one of my favorite anecdotes: "When Plato gave Socrates' definition of man as "featherless bipeds" and was much praised for the definition, Diogenes plucked a chicken and brought it into Plato's Academy, saying, "Behold! I've brought you a man." After this incident, "with broad flat nails" was added to Plato's definition." Or his meeting with Alexander the Great: "Diogenes was relaxing in the sunlight in the morning, Alexander, thrilled to meet the famous philosopher, asked if there was any favour he might do for him. Diogenes replied, "Yes: Stand out of my sunlight.". Alexander still declared, "If I were not Alexander, then I should wish to be Diogenes." en.wikipedia.org Hawk