Re: PG: Hackers and Painters

[Steve Dekorte <address@hidden>]

On Thursday, May 15, 2003, at 07:34 PM, Matt Curtin wrote:
> Having worked with attorneys on a fair number of issues, I have seen
> that attorneys frequently do write this way.  In fact, speech writers
> do the same thing.  Someone will draft something, or someone will
> start talking, while someone else is writing.  People interject
> phrases and sentences, and the whole things just flows quickly.  All
> the while, other people are listening and thinking about what is being
> implied, checking facts, offering citations, etc.

I can see this working when the endeavor is one that accepts current 
conventions. But often acts of creation are anti-social in nature as 
they question socially accepted assumptions. Innovators rarely live at 
peace with their societies. Would Picasso have made better paintings 
with someone looking over his shoulder and stepping in occasionally? 
Would Ulysses have been a better book if written by two people? If the 
church had paired up Galileo Galilei, would Starry Messenger have been 
written?

For a critical analysis of the role of social organizations in 
innovation, see Khun's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

Cheers,
Steve
OSX freeware and shareware: http://www.dekorte.com/downloads.html