The Wright Brothers deceived the world. What was their motive?

[Boojatta]

It's obvious that they had some genuine appreciation for science and technology. So please don't tell me that they were ignorant. They knew that human behavior is fully determined by the interaction of genes and the environment. Also, they almost certainly could foresee that the world wouldn't forever confine itself to building exact copies of their airplanes. Yet the Wright Brothers didn't let this knowledge stop them.

History gives the impression that for thousands of years human beings had no way to operate, in a controlled manner, heavier-than-air flying vehicles. Then the Wright Brothers succeeded. After that, there was a flowering of designs. The Wright Brothers conspired to create the impression that what they contributed was an idea, along with a practical demonstration that the idea had merit.

Airplanes are real and even though blueprints are flimsy and insubstantial compared to airplanes, blueprints are real. Blueprints consist of paper, and highly visible but not very massive amounts of ink stuck to the paper. However, ideas aren't real. A discussion about ideas is merely noisy chatter and metaphysical humbug. Reality consists of matter, energy, and nothing else.

After all, psychology is a science. How could there be a science of human behavior if the environment in which human beings live is saturated with ideas? There are ideas in just about any conversation, diary entry, song, poem, short story, movie, etc. If psychology researchers attempted to understand and appreciate all such things and the influence of all such things, then their subject area would expand to include every aspect of human experience. If someone thinks of an idea for a new flavor of ice-cream, then a research scientist could use research funds to perform the experiment of buying a scoop and tasting it.

[taterguy]

1. Their motive was that they wanted a quicker way to get to the Outer Banks

Took Wilbur a week to get from Betsytown to Kitty Hawk the first time he went, and he damn near drowned.

Next question.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. WTF?

What are you talking about? I know of only two or three early attempts at heavier-than-air flight that were purportedly successful, and none of which pre-dated the Wrights' by more than a decade.

Details, please!

--d!

[dimbear]

11. This is the Religion area, so don't the vimanas count?

Heavier than air flying machines described in the Vedas, some of which were seven stories tall. Probably descended from the flying chariots of even earlier works.

[dimbear]

3. Reality consists of matter, energy, and nothing else.

It's going to be boring without space and time.

[Boojatta]

14. Not only boring, but also very congested.

I apologize for the omission.

[Adsos Letter]

4. To appear on Dancing With the Stars.

[edhopper]

5. You seem to be trying to make a point.

Not sure what that point is, but I might disagree or agree with what you are saying, if I knew what that was.

[cleanhippie]

6. +100000

[Boojatta]

13. A hundred thousand is an interesting choice of number.

[Boojatta]

10. For you I will provide a shorter version:

Boojatta trying to make a point:
If psychology researchers attempted to understand and appreciate all such things and the influence of all such things, then their subject area would expand to include every aspect of human experience.

Boojatta trying to ask a question:
How could there be a science of human behavior if the environment in which human beings live is saturated with ideas?

In contributing to this thread, what are you trying to do?

[edhopper]

12. What makes you think that this

is not part of what psychologist study?

[cleanhippie]

7. This belongs in the lounge, not in R&T.

[edhopper]

8. I think he is trying to make an analogy

about religion, God or the supernatural. Or something like that. So it might be an RT thread. But I could be wrong. Maybe it's about aerodynamics, then it should go in science.

[Jim__]

9. If "human behavior is fully determined by the interaction of genes and the environment" then

obviously, they just did what they were compelled to do.

[Boojatta]

15. If this thread was interesting

in your opinion, then you might also be interested in the DU thread that you can access via the link below:

Is it possible to demonstrate with scientific rigor that people use words to express ideas?

[edhopper]

16. You seem to have

philosophical ideas confused with scientific theories.

[Boojatta]

17. Kick

[Boojatta]

18. Their motive remains a mystery.

Perhaps they were obsessed with the dream of lifting off from a single bicycle repair shop to a nation-wide chain of bicycle repair shops? Perhaps they thought that a flying machine prototype could be sold for enough money to pay for that dream? If they were obsessed with money, then they might have been distracted and failed to foresee the consequences.