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Comment by starwind | Hacker News Reader

> they provide a useful extreme endpoint such that there can exist a reasonable "Overton Window" of Free/Open Source/ Whatever Software

Or, ya know, they could just stake out reasonable, nuanced positions that organizations could adopt or at least be a starting point for further developments

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I think this may have already been attempted, and you're perhaps underestimating the incentive and relative cheapness of large well funded companies (right now, literally the largest and most well funded) to insert their own agendas into visible movements like this (for better or worse, this is not much different from how "Open Source" came out of "Free Software.")

In other words, the fact that you don't see these positions I think is a result of a mild "embrace, extend extinguish" and not "no one thought of this before."

It's pretty hilarious seeing people suggesting that someone fundamentally unable to engage in empathy, perspective-taking, or second-order strategizing...is actually making some big-brain play to hold down the extremist end so that more moderate voices and exist.

Stallman is infamous for his inability to recognize viewpoints other than his own as having worth or validity. He is literally incapable of such a big-brain plan because there's no way he could see a moderate position as valid.

I don't think OP is suggesting that Stallman is doing it on purpose, just that Stallman's dogmatism may actually be beneficial in spite of itself.

No. I also don't think Buddhist monks are strategizing a big-brain play to convert people to Buddhism. It's more hilarious to see people not getting the idea that this is just his thing and I admire it, even if I ain't doing it.

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