4.0049 Humanist Structure (179)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Tue, 15 May 90 17:14:22 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0049. Tuesday, 15 May 1990.


(1) Date: Mon, 14 May 90 19:47:33 EDT (14 lines)
From: Germaine Warkentin <WARKENT@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: Sublists for Humanist

(2) Date: Tue, 15 May 90 02:45:33 EST (20 lines)
From: LNGDANAP@VM.UOGUELPH.CA
Subject: Re: Humanist structure

(3) Date: Tue, 15 May 90 00:57:01 PDT (20 lines)
From: Rich Mitchell <MITCHELR@ORSTVM>
Subject: [...] electronic texts vs. humanism

(4) Date: 15 May 90, 15:07:36 MEZ (22 lines)
From: Dr. Gerd Willee 0228 - 73 56 20 <UPK000@DBNRHRZ1>
Subject: establishing sub-list within HUMANIST;

(5) Date: Tuesday, 15 May 1990 9:43am CST (19 lines)
From: EIEB360@UTXVM.BITNET
Subject: 4.0047 Query on Humanist Struct

(6) Date: 15 May 90 11:33 EST (15 lines)
From: Jim Cahalan <JMCAHAL@IUPCP6.BITNET>
Subject: HUMANIST subjects

(7) Date: Tue, 15 May 90 09:38:44 -0700 (20 lines)
From: edwards@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Jane Edwards)
Subject: more on Humanist structure

(8) Date: 15 May 1990 11:41:32 CDT (19 lines)
From: <SPAETH@UIUCVMD>
Subject: 4.045 Humanist structure

(9) Date: Tue, 15 May 90 13:27:20 EDT (16 lines)
From: vivace!cb%kcp.UUCP@XAIT.Xerox.COM (Christopher Bader)
Subject: Introductory files; First impressions

(10) Date: Tue, 15 May 90 15:11:25 EDT (8 lines)
From: djb@harvunxw.BITNET (David J. Birnbaum)
Subject: Re: 4.0047 Query on Humanist Structure (28)

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 14 May 90 19:47:33 EDT (1 lines)
From: Germaine Warkentin <WARKENT@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: Sublists for Humanist

I am deeply puzzled by Jane Edwards' feeling that people who are
interested only in computer information, "academic queries" (whatever
that means in such a context), etc., should constitute a separate
sublist of Humanist. What would then make them Humanists? One of the
distinctions of this seminar is its refusal to accept such
compartmentalization. Most of the time I zap the longer technical
items, but rarely before reading them. I have learned a lot that way.
Surely a person with technical interests who joined Humanist would assume
that the intellectual traffic moves in _both_ directions? Germaine
Warkentin (with some asperity!)
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------29----

Date: Tue, 15 May 90 02:45:33 EST (3 lines)
From: LNGDANAP@VM.UOGUELPH.CA
Subject: Re: Humanist structure


I am sad to see (hear? read?) that yet again, someone is suggesting that
HUMANISt segregate the techies from the non techies. The current
editors, following in Willard's footsteps, have done a splendid job of
grouping messages and labelling them as to content. As a non-techie, I
have no problems in quickly deleting discussions dealing with Tex and
Latex...although I appreciate having the opportunity to read them,
should I wish to. surely the same would apply to techies faced with
discussion of computer gender and student names?

The name HUMANISt implies, for me, a wide ranging discussion, in which a
hardware/software topic might well branch off into a non- computing
subject. And if such a branching leads to various ruminations,
including gentle humour, then does it not reflect the way that *humans*
conduct conversations of a most edifying type? I vote to keep HUMANIST
as open-ended as possible...
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------45----

Date: Tue, 15 May 90 00:57:01 PDT (1 lines)
From: Rich Mitchell <MITCHELR@ORSTVM>
Subject: Serendipity files; electronic texts vs. humanism


[...]. Regarding Jane Edwards hope to remove the distractions of
social, political and humanistic commentary from the "substance" of talk
about electronic texts and computers, I would appreciate quite the
opposite. For me, HUMANIST is a forum for humanist thought, not
production techniques. To suggest that a dialogue on the human
condition belongs elsewhere is to place mechanism ahead of its social
meaning, a notion one social critic, Marx, would find alienating.
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------28----

Date: 15 May 90, 15:07:36 MEZ(14) (1 lines)
From: Dr. Gerd Willee 0228 - 73 56 20 UPK000 at DBNRHRZ1
Subject: establishing sub-list within HUMANIST;

I totally agree to the idea that the main aim of HUMANIST is to inform
or better said to communicate about matters related to humanists' work
with computers. Therefore I too sometimes have difficulties to find the
nuggets in the masses of sand and really would prefer, if some
discussion items would be distributed only for those, who really want
it. E.g., the discussion about computer gender, aboutslang words, about
problems with laptops in planes (for my oppinion the only problem
related to this topic is the one people must have, if they need to take
with them such rather problematic machines when travelling ... ), etc.
is worth being mentionned once or twice for the complete HUMANIST group,
as these topics are interesting for many, but not for all of us, but if
such discussions begin to grow, one really should transplant them to a
special sub-list. The contributions to such sub-lists could be stored as
files for the HUMANIST fileserver, so that interested people could get
the information, even without getting each single contribution directly
into the mailbox.

Gerd Willee
(5) --------------------------------------------------------------27----
Date: Tuesday, 15 May 1990 9:43am CST
From: EIEB360@UTXVM.BITNET
Subject: 4.0047 Query on Humanist Struct

A similar question to the one raised by Jane Edwards has come up
recently on Megabyte University, which is devoted primarily to issues
pertaining to computer-assisted writing instruction but which has lately
been the medium for a number of more "personal" exchanges. The
consensus on MBU was that those personal messages, expressions of
opinion and friendship and so on, are somehow essential to the social
fabric (virtual fabric, I should say); and I think the same is true here
as well. I often don't know very much about the technical/scholarly
issues being discussed (no Greek at all, no Hebrew since my Bar Mitzvah,
etc., etc.), and while I often enjoy and learn from the stores of
knowledge so freely shared here, I would very much hate to lose the other
messages; they seem to me integrally related to what it means to *be* a
humanist.
John Slatin
University of Texas, Austin
(6) --------------------------------------------------------------24----
Date: 15 May 90 11:33 EST
From: Jim Cahalan <JMCAHAL@IUPCP6.BITNET>
Subject: HUMANIST subjects

In response to Jane Edwards' query, I find most of the technical computer
postings deadly boring and other kinds of postings refreshing. My
feeling is that the name of the newsgroup is "HUMANIST," not "COMPUTER
NERDS IN THE HUMANITIES." Don't get me wrong: I'm as excited about
computer developments as the next humanist; it's just that I enjoy
humanistic conversations more than technical ones. Perhaps some other
Humanists may feel the same.

Jim Cahalan, Graduate Literature <JMCAHAL@IUP.BITNET>
English Dept., 111 Leonard, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA 15705-1094 Phone: (412) 357-2264
(7) --------------------------------------------------------------30----
Date: Tue, 15 May 90 09:38:44 -0700
From: edwards@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Jane Edwards)
Subject: more on Humanist structure

I would like to add etymologies of slang terms to the list of things
which might be considered for selective distribution (the 2-tiered
suggestion) or distribution over one of the Usenet groups (e.g.,
sci.lang) instead of Humanist. From my perspective the reason for this
is the "needless nuisance" factor - i.e., the meaning of "glom" was
clear from context in the original message, but also could have been
clarified locally (i.e., without needing to post a query to Humanist).
Of course, there is also the fact that such postings change the feel of
Humanist to be in fact more like a coffee clatch or social club, while
at the same time diluting the average information-level of messages
distributed on Humanist. If this is what people want, then, it will
surely go that way, but I wanted to raise the issue so that at least
that choice, if it is made, will be made consciously.

-Jane Edwards
(8) --------------------------------------------------------------29----
Date: 15 May 1990 11:41:32 CDT
From: <SPAETH@UIUCVMD>
Subject: 4.045 Humanist structure

I have some sympathy with Jane Edward's views and have expressed similar
ones myself in the past. BUT (I hasten to say) I've changed my mind
since this issue was last raised about 6 months ago. Humanist is a
community of scholars, and as such may discuss a wide variety of issues,
just as we would if we were to meet in person. (See Sunday NY Times
front page for more on such communities.) Still, there is a limit to
the amount of time we can spend on such chat. So I hope Elaine and
Allen will continue (as they appear to be doing) Willard's custom of
breaking contributions up into different topical files.

One demonstration of the hold that the Humanist umbilical cord has on me
is that I have resubscribed while on holiday in the U.S.! I expect that
my Glasgow colleagues have read my contributions with some surprise.

Don Spaeth
(9) --------------------------------------------------------------30----
Date: Tue, 15 May 90 13:27:20 EDT
From: vivace!cb%kcp.UUCP@XAIT.Xerox.COM (Christopher Bader)
Subject: Introductory files; First impressions

I'm a new HUMANIST member; I joined on May 4.
[note to editors removed]

I haven't been too pleased with what I HAVE received. I agree
completely with Jane Edwards' suggestion that a sub-group be created for
"those interested only in topics relating to electronic texts, computer
methods, queries relating to academic topics, etc."

-- Christopher Bader
(10) --------------------------------------------------------------16---
Date: Tue, 15 May 90 15:11:25 EDT
From: djb@harvunxw.BITNET (David J. Birnbaum)
Subject: Re: 4.0047 Query on Humanist Structure (28)

I would like to endorse Jane Edwards's thoughtful proposal of a
two-tiered mailing list.

--David
David J. Birnbaum djb@wjh12.harvard.edu [Internet]
djb@harvunxw.bitnet [Bitnet]