Subject: Re: Book Project Introduction, Ideas Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 12:49:37 -0400 From: "Win Wenger, Ph.D." To: Sunni Maravillosa , mcpherso, anakin@dur.mindspring.com, mcole@napanet.net, mjoyner@botree.com, GeoNelson@aol.com, straveca@erols.com, Swcgluck@aol.com, RickAshby@aol.com, Kuene@cts.com, jheflin@mail.portup.com, Tice@writeme.com, Frank@gerryts.demon.co.uk, e7750010@tsai.es, tazz4@ix.netcom.com Sunni - this resonates with another book project of mine, wherein I propose (including the methods to do so) to turn all kids into voracious book readers. (The idea is that no 4-walled classroom or school can hope to provide much of what we need to know in the 21st century but every library is a hologram of world civilization......that and the Net, together, might account for a good part of what is needed. Also, I feel it needful on 2 levels to remark that more than only a libertarian view may come to be represented in the "what" department of our project. I hope none of our project members of possibly differing political-economic philosophy feel daunted because we need you both directly and IN the "what" department assuring that a broad spectrum of legitimate but definite values are represented in our project. The second level: I believe I'm on top of the only way yet to surface by means of which most libertarian goals can actually be attained--and that most libertarians at first blush won't agree with that proposed way. I hesitate to say too much more until I can retrieve into emailable form the scattered pieces of my "Incentivism" book, except to note that if libertarian goals are pressed too directly without taking into account the factors in that book, the end result will be an exPANsion of government and taxes, not a reduction. Fortunately we're all pretty bright people in this project and can handle a range of perspectives. But the tug toward political-economic discussion may be another good reason to put forwardmost the focus of showing children HOW rather than what to perceive and think. If you're comfortable with that, and the rest of us also are, then Sunni by all means take up your publisher contact. That's a leg up over anything else shown thus far, in respect to there being some sort of pay-off generated as we work. (I'm not familiar with the Philosophy-in-the-Classroom series.) Lastly, speaking of pay-offs as we work, John McPhereson has just exemplified some of that with his suggestion that we experiment with image streaming AS IF a child were our listening partner. That may not only help us with the project, but I believe it may help us with both the vividness and the understood message content of our image streams. If we are alert to how our work in this project will help us elksewhere, it improves the chances that our work here WILL help us elsewhere. Post-lastly: my computer's reflexes dumped all mail received until now after 6:40 pm yesterday (4/13, Monday) when a virus tried to ride in with one incoming piece. Anything you've sent me since, can you please re-send? Thanks, and my apologies. --win