Re: [lojban] Re: [lojban-announcements] Essay on the future of Lojban, with a simple poll for the community.

[Robin Lee Powell <rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org>]

On Wed, Apr 07, 2010 at 04:05:56AM -0400, Bob LeChevalier wrote:
> >On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 5:02 PM, Robin Lee Powell
> ><rlpowell@digitalkingdom.org> wrote:
> >
> >>FOLLOWUPS TO: The main list.
> >>
> >>OK, been promising it for a while; here it is.
> >>
> >>http://teddyb.org/robin/tiki-index.php?page=Lojban%3A+You're+Doing+It+Wrong
> >>
> >>There are all *sorts* of finicky details we could discuss, but
> >>right now I and others would very much just like to get a sense
> >>of where the community stands on these sorts of issues, so, if
> >>we could *please* keep the discussion for now (1) on the main
> >>list and (2) agree/disagree answer to the following question,
> >>after you've read (as much as you wish to) of the essay:
> >>
> >>I would like Lojban to remain as close as it possibly can to its
> >>current state, regardless of whether I or a group of experienced
> >>Lojbanists see that improvements could be made.
> >>
> >>Agree or disagree?
> 
> Both, depending on timeframe and definitions of terms.
> 
> Lojban needs to remain stable and resistant to change, especially
> in the near term.  When numbers of Lojbanists and formal
> documentation are both strong enough, then "improvements" will
> generally be made by usage, not by fiat, with skilled Lojbanists
> being the only ones having the capability to demonstrate and
> explain their variant usages in-language, and other skilled
> Lojbanists voting-with-their-usage to adopt the variation.
> 
> That is what the phrase "let usage decide" was supposed to refer
> to - the asymptotic reduction of change-by-fiat to nil, in favor
> of natural evolution through usage.  Shakespeare introduced
> considerable new vocabulary and usage to the English language, and
> needed no byfy to approve his efforts.

Then we are on opposite sides, I'm afraid; I now think this is a
terrible plan, and I do not want to be a part of it.

(and, for the record, this is exactly what i understood "let usage
decide" to mean)

-Robin

-- 
They say:  "The first AIs will be built by the military as weapons."
And I'm  thinking:  "Does it even occur to you to try for something
other  than  the default  outcome?"  See http://shrunklink.com/cdiz
http://www.digitalkingdom.org/~rlpowell/ *** http://www.lojban.org/

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