On Thu, 14 Sep 1995, Duncan Frissell wrote:
On Wed, 13 Sep 1995, Black Unicorn wrote:
But won't clients insist on proper credentials in one form or another? Doesn't the practicality and accountability of a centralized authority (or several authorities) provide the best answer to this? Who is going to accept my signature promising that I did indeed get a law degree and pass the bar?
An educational institution can certify its own graduates --- it does now. Competing credentialing institutions is exactly what I would be looking for as opposed to today's coercive monoply.
No matter how skilled, it is illegal for an unlicensed person to practice law, medicine, or many other professions in any state. The nets weaken these restrictions because they allow action at a distance.
That's certainly true. But what about liability insurance? That's one of the key aspects of my retention of a professional. Being cynical, and somewhat knowledgable about human error, I want to be sure there's someone to turn to if the advice/treatment/whatever turns out not only to be wrong in hindsight, but in foresight. Having taken, and passed, bar exams in three states (3 for 3 for those of you thinking I was forum shopping), I can tell you that they weren't that big of a barrier. You can flunk (over several tries) by failing to prepare at all, panicking, being an extremely poor test taker, or, well ...
Note the other effects of the nets. They make it hard to tell that you *are* working which reduces the impact of regulations of work by "illegal aliens." Thus if I am wandering through the South of France while writing the 'Great American Novel' I am unlikely to get busted for violation of work restrictions. The nets expand the number of jobs I can do while innocently wandering the South of France. I can or will soon be able, for example, to manage a large international corporation from anywhere.
DCF
"Who actually prefers Le Massif Central to those hot and crowded southern climes."
Just wondering about liability issues after state accrediting is dead. EBD Not a lawyer on the Net, although I play one in real life. ********************************************************** Flame away! I get treated worse in person every day!!