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  Blog \Blôg\, n. [Jrg, fr. Jrg. "Web-log".
     See {Blogger, BlogSpot, LiveJournal}.]
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Friday, November 8, 2002
10:27 - On Idealism

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The last couple of posts got me thinking. Perhaps a little reflection on the nature of idealism is in order.

The last post indicates that I'm a pragmatist when it comes to politics; but anybody who's been paying any attention to this site for any length of time knows that when it comes to technology, and to Apple, I'm anything but. I come off like a raving campus sign-waver, I realize.

Here's the thing: ideals are fine things to have, and I believe everybody has certain ideals that they'd pursue... if only reality didn't have that nasty habit of getting in the way. Libertarianism is a fine set of ideals from a political viewpoint. But the realities of life today preclude those ideals from making total sense. They're good things to have in the room, up on the shelf, peering down at the people making the decisions; but they can't be the only things that go into a policy. The reason I want to see a Libertarian treasurer is that it would provide push-back against government expenditures and taxes; it wouldn't be a policy-making entity in and of itself, but it would provide a necessary counterweight, something to help keep the money flow sane. Reality dictates a balance of power as the most stable and effective system we can hope for.

But... when ideals can in fact make a difference, I feel that it's no inconsistency to try to pursue those ideals as fervently as possible. In technology, for instance, I'm no idealist in most cases-- believe it or not. As a software engineer, my life is ruled by expedience, and even more so as a quality engineer. My entire existence revolves around how my definition of good enough meshes with the company's marketing and sales needs. It's all about compromise and common sense, and sometimes a less-than-perfect product is the answer when market realities demand it.

However, in certain cases (*cough*Apple*cough*), I see a company that is uniquly situated so as to stand effectively for a set of ideals that I find admirable. Apple is about open standards, ease of use, Human Interface theory distilled to its finest essence, design elegance, and quality of product. Under most circumstances, I'd say "Hey, you know, those are nice things to have... but reality says it's not feasible. Better to just compromise and settle for good enough." But that would only hold water if Apple weren't a successful long-term company that keeps staying afloat (and even gaining, in credibility if not in market share) even in the face of all predictions of doom. And through all this they've stayed true to their ideals. And that, I feel, is something special. It's something worth aligning with. It's something worth fighting for.

You've got to pick your battles. The trick lies in making a convincing case that you've picked the right ones; and maybe I haven't. But at least there's a reasoning behind it, and I think it's consistent.

It certainly feels right, anyway.

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