I can't answer for him as to his absolute intentions.
No, what you can't seem to do is answer a question honestly or directly. The contradiction I stated is as obvious as is the sanctimonious "Holier-Than-Thou" manner of writing.
Instead, you evade committing to the obvious responses by asking mock questions of your own.
Regarding your second question, what should one do instead to 'ethically' research an area (especially a large one)?
Case in point
I'm a noob to photography. Surely you agree that the job of a photographer and film producer are fundamentally different enough to make that distinction? But like a doctor and a chef travelling on the same bus, surely we also have things in common to discuss and learn from each other?
Wow. Another childlike response on your part, side-stepping obvious conclusions, and coming up with inane questions of your own as strawmen to take the place of honest answers. (BTW, doctors and chefs do not have as many professional "things in common" as do photographers and videographers.)
And surely I don't have to commit to a rigid position, especially when I know as a professional I could be totally wrong, and sometimes as a noob I could be brilliant.
As a man, it actually
would be more honorable to commit to a rigid position, when asked a direct question, than it would be to forever respond with inane, irrelevant "mock scenarios" of your own ... just to avoid having to answer a question directly.
Why categorize like Socrates, just to win debates?
It is not a matter of "winning debates"; it is an effort to reach the truth, or at least an agreement, through providing logical responses
to questions. It is only through precise, honest answers to questions (in a
mutually-honest attempt to narrow things down
to a conclusion), that any debate can finally be settled. And, toward this end, at least Socrates was blessed with opponents who did answer his questions honestly, and who did follow all conclusions logically, which is more than I can say for you.
Isn't he (and Michael, for that matter), at least to newcomers like me?
There you go again, pettifogger, taking a new dishonest path of now throwing Michael (and every other "teacher" who ever lived) into the same pedantic pile as Alain. I have not criticized Michael here, nor any other teacher, only this particular individual, Alain.
And, though I may often find myself as a student, I never perceive myself as an idiot-student. However, if
you want to perceive yourself as an idiot-student, who am I to argue?
If I had the attitude to critique everything I read (without bothering to experience it), I wouldn't get very far.
If you had the attitude of a direct and honest man, we
could have gotten far enough in this debate to reach its obvious conclusion a long time ago. However, because you choose to evade answers and respond with one mock-scenario after another, we are just spinning our wheels here.
In the end, if you think all writers and educators are equal ... and if you don't have the wherewithal to critique what you read, and the ability to differentiate truly valuable advice from wasted typing ... then you
really won't get very far. You see, some instructors really are exceptionally helpful ... while others are not ... and if you do not have the wherewithal to distinguish between the two as you read along then allow me to re-direct back to the 2nd paragraph of the previous response above
I'm also aware that in due course, if my real-world experiences are contradictory to what I have read, then I still would be grateful for having had someone tell me what they felt is important. I wouldn't want a mentor who didn't have a point of view.
Huh? Wow. LOL
The truth is, I would
never accept any mentor "as" a mentor whom I felt was a hypocrite. I would also never accept any mentor "as" a mentor who was so self-absorbed that he claimed
not to look at any other photographers' photos ... right after saying he soaks-up all the advice he can about a location online from other photographers.
I personally would
like and
trust a mentor a lot more, who freely admitted to deriving enjoyment/inspiration out of the creative ideas of his peers, and who gave credit where it was due, rather than trying to act like a sanctimonious "law unto himself," contradicting himself in the process.
And I also enjoy reading instruction that is written at a level where the author perceives his audience as already having some basic horse sense, rather than as idiots who need to be reminded to breathe and wipe their nose.
Imagine having a teacher telling me that I could pack my bags in twenty different ways but doesn't give me an opinion on his/her preference.
As a noob, do I have any other choice?
Imagine actually being a person bright enough
not to require "being told" you need to pack your bags for a trip ... and imagine further being a person who actually has the wherewithal
to choose from among your own possessions what you need to bring and what you do not ... all by yourself
I am done here ... have a good one
Jack
.