On 30 Nov 2001, at 22:05, Petro wrote:
On Thursday, November 29, 2001, at 07:53 PM, georgemw@speakeasy.net wrote:
Even this is not a scalar. Since reputation cannot be bought and sold, the idea that it is worth a specific well defined amount is false.
What makes you think a reputation cannot be bought and sold?
Ever hear of Public Relations firms? Politicians?
Both are in the business of buying and selling reputations.
Not exactly. You can pay a PR firm to try and help improve your reputation, but that's not the same thing a reputation pre-assembled and gift wrapped. Most likely they'll just tell you to wear more earth tones, which won't actually help. I'm surprised I've gotten so much disagreement over this, particularly since my original statement was much weaker than it could have been. For reputation to have a single well defined value it is necessary but not sufficient that there be a market in reputations; it must be a COMMODITIZED market. think that can happen? Reputation is essentially a kind of credential. If I've got a piece of paper that says I can speak Navajo (hypthetical, I can't really) and I sell that piece of paper, I won't lose the ability to speak Navajo, nor will the purchaser gain it. A market in such pieces of paper would be self-destructive, since knowledge that such papers are commonly bought and sold would quickly make the papers themselves worthless. George
-- "Remember, half-measures can be very effective if all you deal with are half-wits."--Chris Klein