On Wed, Jan 29, 2003 at 04:08:08PM -0800, Tim May wrote:
Really, Eugene, you need to think deeply about this issue. Ask your lab associate, "A. G.," about why learning and success/failure is so important for so many industries. Read some Hayek, some von Mises, some Milton Friedman. And even some David Friedman.
I'm with Tim on this (though I've always found Eugene to be one of the most interesting and valuable contributors to discussions here). The only thing I'd add is that many folks in the technology community or computer industry who are otherwise libertarian have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to government funding of "basic research": they like it. More than that, in fact, they'll argue that it's necessary. I suspect much of this comes from the reward structure of grad programs in CS (and I presume other disciplines), where you win if you get DARPA etc. grants. The government is seen as a benign force at worst, a boon at best. By now, everyone's used to it and find its difficult to imagine life without the tax largesse. Also, professional associations like ACM and IEEE argue for more tax handouts... -Declan