Quote:
Originally Posted by osnova
Oh, and... society did create these works. The society created the individual and let him develop and live in its environment. It educated him in literature and art. It gave him what to work with.
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Just like Isaac Newton being able to see farther because of "standing on the shoulders of giants".
Quote:
Originally Posted by tubemonkey
Just like the farmer? the business owner?
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Well, persons in either of those professions did similarly receive educations which made use of available public knowledge so that they would know how to farm and run businesses.
And probably made use of equipment and such that itself was created using similar public knowledge of technology and engineering from fields that were able to build based upon publicly shared knowledge, etc.
Regardless of their origins and possible feelings of self-sufficiency, very few people are raised in a cultural vacuum and can discern everything they need to learn about and practice their profession from scratch*.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tubemonkey
I think we should stop here; else this thread will be moving to the political section.
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Okay.
* Barring Orson Scott Card tales (
Songmaster, I think it was) about musical prodigies being raised totally in isolation from any other created music so that their style would develop "uncontaminated" by the influences of others and be truly original.