On Wed, 21 Aug 2002, Anonymous wrote:
Clearly we need a new approach. Here is a suggestion for a simple solution which will give everyone an important secret that they will avoid sharing.
At birth each person will be issued a secret key. This will be called his Mojo.
[snip]
Now all that is needed is a simple change to the law so that knowing someone's Mojo makes him your slave.
Virtually all cultures have held the mythological belief that all "beings with souls" have a True Name, and that knowledge of one's true name leads to power over him. (This isn't really surprising, since the True Name concept features prominently in Babylonian mythology, from which the myths of nearly all other civilizations have sprung.) For instance, knowing the True Name of a god could result in one being granted godly powers, or immortality (cf: Isis learning the True Name of Ra in Egyptian mythology). In Greek (and neo-pagan) nature myths, speaking the true name of a landscape object could give the speaker protection or favors from the spirit inhabiting the object. In Hebrew, Essene, and Islamic mythology, as well as Celtic, Pacific Island, and Norse tales, the True Name theme appears repeatedly. Etc. It sounds like you wish to revive this superstition, but instead make it cryptographically enforcable. "Trust in the laws of mathematics and men, not of gods?" Welcome to the Church of Strong Cryptography.
Please join me in supporting this important reform.
Just say, "I want my Mojo!"
Sometimes, I wonder if some of these posts are not intended to be as ironic as they appear. -MW-