Comments on: Meta those who can’t http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/ My opinions only. I do not represent any organization in this publication. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:31:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Mike Linksvayer » Table selection, HSA, LugRadio, Music, Photographers, New Media http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-98736 Mike Linksvayer » Table selection, HSA, LugRadio, Music, Photographers, New Media Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:20:46 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-98736 [...] in metadata is one of the least harmful things the industry might do. Not that I don’t think metadata is great or anything. Wendy Seltzer / CC [...] [...] in metadata is one of the least harmful things the industry might do. Not that I don’t think metadata is great or anything. Wendy Seltzer / CC [...]

]]> By: Mike Linksvayer http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-96191 Mike Linksvayer Sat, 04 Aug 2007 20:16:37 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-96191 jim, amen to that! jim,

amen to that!

]]> By: jim reddy http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-96190 jim reddy Sat, 04 Aug 2007 19:32:48 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-96190 "those who can, do; those who can't, teach and those who can 't do or teach, preach" “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach and those who can ‘t do or teach, preach”

]]> By: Mike Linksvayer » The disgusting Mr. Linksvayer http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-45587 Mike Linksvayer » The disgusting Mr. Linksvayer Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:37:45 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-45587 [...] I am particularly amused that DeCoster wrote on LewRockwell.com. I used to have a love/hate relationship with this and its sister site, Mises.org. Trenchant and extreme anti-war and anti-government commentary, including against intellectual protectionism. But the occasional Christian apologia, pro-apartheid writers, and general nuts really put me off. Then there’s the despicable Hoppe. Fortunately I am able to no longer care. There are many substitutes on the topics those sites were good on, and I am mostly convinced by Bryan Caplan on Austrian economics that the school does not just appear to be an ignorable backwater, it is. Part of Caplan’s conclusion reminds me yet again of the perils of meta: Neoclassical economists go too far by purging meta-economics almost entirely, but there is certainly a reason to be suspicious of scholars who talk about economics without ever doing it. [...] [...] I am particularly amused that DeCoster wrote on LewRockwell.com. I used to have a love/hate relationship with this and its sister site, Mises.org. Trenchant and extreme anti-war and anti-government commentary, including against intellectual protectionism. But the occasional Christian apologia, pro-apartheid writers, and general nuts really put me off. Then there’s the despicable Hoppe. Fortunately I am able to no longer care. There are many substitutes on the topics those sites were good on, and I am mostly convinced by Bryan Caplan on Austrian economics that the school does not just appear to be an ignorable backwater, it is. Part of Caplan’s conclusion reminds me yet again of the perils of meta: Neoclassical economists go too far by purging meta-economics almost entirely, but there is certainly a reason to be suspicious of scholars who talk about economics without ever doing it. [...]

]]> By: Mike Linksvayer » Microformats are worse http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-42535 Mike Linksvayer » Microformats are worse Mon, 23 Oct 2006 02:59:02 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-42535 [...] Ah, metadata. [...] [...] Ah, metadata. [...]

]]> By: Jason Ruspini http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-39482 Jason Ruspini Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:28:05 +0000 http://gondwanaland.com/mlog/2006/10/12/meta-those-who-cant/#comment-39482 What separates professionals from amateurs is often not the conceptual subject matter, but the mundane details of *doing* the job. I once heard a general say something like, "armchair generals think about battle strategy, but real generals think about supply lines." So those who only "meta" have some combination of intellectual curiosity and laziness. They always want to play with the "interesting" questions while avoiding the day-to-day work. Naturally, they will probably end-up less "useful". This tendency declines with age, I think. What separates professionals from amateurs is often not the conceptual subject matter, but the mundane details of *doing* the job. I once heard a general say something like, “armchair generals think about battle strategy, but real generals think about supply lines.”

So those who only “meta” have some combination of intellectual curiosity and laziness. They always want to play with the “interesting” questions while avoiding the day-to-day work. Naturally, they will probably end-up less “useful”. This tendency declines with age, I think.

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