Reading this article about wikipedia reminds me of my time as an outdoor activity instructor about 10 years ago. The governing bodies for canoeing (the BCU) and for mountaineering/climbing (the MLTB) took very different attitudes to personal responsibility in the outdoor setting. The MLTB took the view that you could not hand over responsibility for your own safety and decision-making in the outdoors. Even if you are with someone who is more experienced and qualified than yourself, you still need to take responsibility for your own decisions. So, if you think it's too dangerous then don't go. The BCU, on the other hand would claim that by going out with one of "its" qualified instructors, in a certified setting, that the activity was made "safe".
You can guess which approach I believe in.
Returning to wikipedia, I have thought for over 20 years that the sooner people stop believing things just because they come out of a computer, the better.
Thursday, 29 January 2009
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