The Coq mailing list

[Derek Dreyer <dreyer AT mpi-sws.org>]

> It's one thing to have a political belief, no matter how outlandish, or how 
> popular. It's another thing to present it as
> a self-evident claim that every reasonable person must agree with, in 
> particular as an implicit view of the entire
> community. This is precisely the phenomenon described as "moral 
> grandstanding" and you cannot blame people for saying
> "not in my name, please".

As I said before, I contend that this is what scientists do all the
time.  It's how you carve out a space of discourse, so you don't have
to go arguing everything from first principles in every paper.  If
that counts as political -- and maybe it does -- then all science is
political.

Also, I'm sorry, but I don't think it's fair to characterize the
organizers of this event as engaging in moral grandstanding.  Perhaps
you disagree with their premises or their methods, but they are not
just spouting off for the sake of self-promotion -- they are actively
trying to figure out how to make PL a more diverse and inclusive
field.  That is a very noble goal that many of us share.

Best regards,
Derek


>
> Whenever this happens, a conflict ensues.
>
> That's all.
>
> t.
>