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Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon

From Don <g@crcomp.net>
Newsgroups rec.arts.sf.written
Subject Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon
Date 2026-09-17 18:23 +0000
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <202600917a@crcomp.net> (permalink)
References <117jm72$eag$1@reader1.panix.com> <117p9h6$9vfl$1@dont-email.me> <pan$2d547$c142d774$e012dd75$58974503@cpacker.org> <20260915a@crcomp.net> <118c5j3$2npec$1@dont-email.me>

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William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
> Don wrote:
>
>>
>> OF NATURE IN MEN by Francis Bacon (1625) sets a stage, so to speak,
>> for gender fluidity:
>>
>>      He that seeketh victory over his nature, let him not set
>>      himself too great nor too small tasks; for the first will
>>      make him dejected by often failings,
>
> Physicist and AF author Robert Forward disagreed.  He said that he
> preferred to tackle problems deemed impossible,as even a tiny amount of
> progress was significant.
>
> It's a matter of attitude.  In chess tournaments I preferred to play
> people much stronger than I was.  I did not regard a loss against such a
> player as a disappointment, while even a draw against such was an
> achievement, and a win was fantastic.  By contrast, beating a dozen
> weaker players did not, in my view,add up to much.
>
> But some people prefer to play opponents very nearly their own strength,
> in agreement with Bacon's point. Soviet trainers, long the best, felt
> this was the best way to improve.
>
>
>  and the second will
>>      make him a small proceeder, though by often prevailings.
>
> The grant system rewards this kind of work, or as Tennyson said:
>
> "Science moves, but slowly, slowly, creeping on from point to point"
>
> - though many of the best scientists I knew took Bacon's advice.

Lk 4:24 And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet (eg truth teller) 
is accepted in his own native place."

In NOVUM ORGANUM, Book I, Aphorism 77, Bacon says it this way: "That men
should immediately examine what error or fault they have committed, when
the multitude concurs with and applauds them."

In Aphorism 79 Bacon grouses about how theological obsessions distract
men of wit to ultimately slow down scientific advancement.

EUREKA by Poe finds fault with both of Bacon's two speeds:

    For many centuries, so great was the infatuation, 
    about Hog (Bacon) especially, that a virtual stop was
    put to all thinking, properly so called. No man dared
    utter a truth for which he felt himself indebted to
    his soul alone.

--
Don.......My cat's  )\._.,--....,'``.                     veritas    _|_
telltale tall tail /,   _.. \   _\  (`._ ,.               liberabit   |
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'              vos         |

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Thread

(tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) - 2026-09-06 12:27 +0000
  Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> - 2026-09-08 07:21 +0000
    Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> - 2026-09-08 06:38 -0400
      Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) - 2026-09-08 11:42 +0000
        Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) - 2026-09-08 11:46 +0000
          Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-09 02:31 +0000
  Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.invalid> - 2026-09-08 08:27 -0700
    Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> - 2026-09-15 07:46 +0000
      Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Don <g@crcomp.net> - 2026-09-15 12:02 +0000
        Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.invalid> - 2026-09-15 08:01 -0700
          Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Don <g@crcomp.net> - 2026-09-16 11:16 +0000
        Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> - 2026-09-15 15:16 -0400
          Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Don <g@crcomp.net> - 2026-09-17 18:23 +0000
            Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> - 2026-09-17 15:56 -0400
              Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Don <g@crcomp.net> - 2026-09-18 02:00 +0000
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> - 2026-09-18 16:20 -0400
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Don <g@crcomp.net> - 2026-09-19 00:59 +0000
      Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.invalid> - 2026-09-15 07:40 -0700
        Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-09-15 08:58 -0700
          Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> - 2026-09-16 07:42 +0000
            Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-09-16 09:11 -0700
              Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon BobbieSellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.invalid> - 2026-09-16 10:33 -0700
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-09-17 08:46 -0700
              Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> - 2026-09-17 07:53 +0000
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-09-17 08:52 -0700
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> - 2026-09-18 08:00 +0000
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) - 2026-09-17 13:45 -0400
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-09-17 19:06 +0000
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-09-18 08:52 -0700
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.comNOSPAM> - 2026-09-18 13:02 -0400
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> - 2026-09-18 08:46 -0700
                Re: (tears) Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) - 2026-09-17 20:07 +0000

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