Re:Where did viruses come from?
by chc on Sunday August 14, 2011 @08:09PM
(#2884886)
Not every instance of "I dunno" is equal in impact or insight to Gödel's theorems. In fact, almost none of them are. This is because the interesting part of Gödel's work was not the "dunno" aspect, but the positive knowledge of what is and is not possible in mathematics.
The halting problem, likewise, exposes exposes a fundamental limitation in computing. It is not simply "I dunno," but "This cannot be known."
If the article proved the origin of viruses to be unknowable, that would be quite interesting and surprising. But asking a difficult question and then answering it with "I dunno" is a much simpler and less interesting accomplishment. I could do this with any number of things.
The halting problem, likewise, exposes exposes a fundamental limitation in computing. It is not simply "I dunno," but "This cannot be known."
If the article proved the origin of viruses to be unknowable, that would be quite interesting and surprising. But asking a difficult question and then answering it with "I dunno" is a much simpler and less interesting accomplishment. I could do this with any number of things.