I already know I'm a kook, but humor me.

[Primeinator]

Mr. Silverman- before I say anything else, let me say that I have a lot of respect for your obvious knowledge in the field of mathematics. It is also nice, for lack of a better term, that you devote some of your time to answering questions, many of which you deem "stupid," to various "new" users on the forum, although you do this rather harshly.
However, no matter what the scope of your mathematical intelliegence is, you have no right to degrade other people as you are doing; calling them idiots, "ignorant," or whatever other names you so choose. In so doing I think you are only proving yourself "ignorant." Many of the questions posted that you deem "stupid" and "ignorant" come from people wanting to learn, to get an answer, to further their own understanding of the field in which you are such an expert. I do not know what the ages of all the people in this forum are, most I know are probably nearing middle age or have already arrived there, and have completed college and some have taken further classes. Some users however, have not traversed so far into life yet and have thus not had the chance to learn some of the concepts which are discussed here. Some that are older have simply not had the chance to learn about the subjects they are inquiring about and for others it is simply a new interest. For some, this interest is casual enough that they have not taken the time to research it, something you demand as a "pre-requisite." If their interest is only casual shouldn't you then calmly provide an answer instead of name calling? For is it not the goal of a good teacher to encourage a student to further understanding. I cannot think that tearing apart someone's question or idea while calling them stupid fools and idiots is going to encourage them. When a young child in school asks for help or to check if an answer on an assignment is right the teacher doesn't reply by saying, "No you stupid child, this is how you do it! Can't you learn?" Of course not. A good teacher will be calm and helpful and point the child in the right direction. Also, if their interest is only casual, who better than an expert to give them their first meal? I had better add to this or you will make this a key point in your argument- I know there is a difference between a young child and the people that post on this forum (although some may still be fairly young). Your argument would probably go something like, "They're older and should know better," although no where near as polite. And is there a difference? Yes, but only that the pupil is more mature. Other than that...? No. The goal of a mathematician, of a physicist, or anyone else passionate about their profession is to disseminate their knowledge to others that want to learn.
And another point- you said earlier in this post that someone of little knowledge in the area they are talking about (or offering suggestions on) should, "just shut-up." I disagree on this too. Just because someone knows very little about the subject they are talking about does not mean that they don't have anything good to say. There have been great advancements in the world because some novice made a "supposedly stupid" comment or suggestion. If a suggestion is obviously wrong, then you should calmly explain why instead of flaming them for their "idiocy." An environment where a person comes to ask a question to only get flamed harshly is not an environment that encourages one to continue in a quest for further knowledge. I have read a lot of your posts and I fail to see what your problem is. Maybe you were attention-lacking as a child or maybe you were bullied and need to make yourself feel superior, like you're the one giving the beating. Maybe it just makes you feel good to degrade other people, or to flaunt your knowledge and tread over the mangled ideas of the users on this forum. Or maybe it is really you that is ignorant.
Regardless of your reasoning, you are acting immature. You are an adult, and a well educated one at that, so maybe you should start acting more like someone of your status should. I don't pretend to be wise or knowledgeable, because I am not. I am only a high school student in a small city, but I do know that the way you treat other people is completely uncalled for, especially coming from an educated adult. In other words, maybe you should rethink the method you use to answer questions. Or, you can continue lashing out at people blind to what I have said. I am sure that others here on this forum would agree. With all respect,
Primeinator

[em99010pepe]

Primeinator,

I agree with you so the best thing to do is to ignore R.D. Silverman. He can be a great mathematician but as a person, and a bunch of people here think like me, he is an asshole.

Carlos

[cheesehead]

Originally Posted by R.D. Silverman

This is not one of *my* courses.

Thank you for that clarification.

The teacher dictates the boundaries of learning. I, and several others are the teachers here.

Would it be a correct interpretation to say that you want absolute control of what inquirers learn here?

You are just another student.

I am enjoying my study of you and the other teachers. Let me assure you that I find you more interesting than any of the others.

Since you may have overlooked one of my previous questions, let me ask again:

Exactly what are the official prerequisites for this forum?

[jasong]

Originally Posted by R.D. Silverman

Yet, we had a newbie who didn't even know the difference between 2*x
and x^2.

You are a freakishly conceited person, Mr. Silverman. May I remind you of Einstein's frustrations of simple math? I DO, in fact, understand the difference, and simply made a mental error.

I would suggest that you go SOAK YOUR HEAD.

[T.Rex]

Dr Silverman, please, change your mind and continue to take part to this forum but in a more humble and useful way.
Thanks,
Tony