Honestly, two mythologized figures (Carmack and Bellard).

They're good (like, quite good), but as soon as their names come up people start talking about some weird expectation of what they are supposed to think rather than the actual things they did.

Somehow, that mythologizing diminishes their accomplishments.

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noisy_boy 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Telling stories, looking for gods that don't have our limitations and telling stories about those gods is pretty much in our nature irrespective of the era.

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gaigalas 3 hours ago | parent [-]

There's no such thing as "human nature", that's just a way to justify something that can't be easily explained.

I have nothing against it. The fact that I explained a mechanism (mythologizing diminishes one's real work) offends people who like to do it, but that's outside of my control. It's not meant to offend or deny their right to do it. It is just what it is and I'm naming it. I understand it's uncomfortable, and pulling the "everyone does it" card makes things easier.

I love mythology by the way, stories, etc. Fascinating stuff.

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noisy_boy 3 hours ago | parent [-]

I don't even know what are you arguing against.

> I love mythology by the way, stories, etc. Fascinating stuff.

Most people do. Given that it is quite prevalent across cultures and given that we are a product of our genetics and upbringing, one might even say, in our nature.

	▲	gaigalas 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I think it's the wrong lens for observing this conversation. You're looking for something that I might be attacking. I'm not doing what you think I am, that's why you can't pinpoint it. It's a simple observation: mythologizing might diminish one's work. Even if we assume there's some "human nature", that claim stands unchallenged. "But you can't fight this thing that all humans do" is your line, and it was never my point to fight it. I want to explain what it does, not change it (which is outside of my control).

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noufalibrahim 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Not exactly my idea. However, it's pleasant to see two people I admire so much having respect for each other.

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MomsAVoxell 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Oh, this is human nature and you will find it impossible to avoid this framing of cult figures, because they are indeed cult figures - albeit positively perceived ones, since they appear to not just be doing it for themselves, but altruistically every wonder they produce is for their users - and thus their works have effectively and productively impacted the lives of millions of other people, at economies of scale most of us here on HN aspire to.

And it is that aspiration you’re degrading with the rush to de-mythologize, as if it weren’t inevitable, under the crushing rush of time, that we in the hacker world had heroes.

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gaigalas 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Humanity has some 300.000 years of existing, and we can only trace back the prevalence of cult figures a few thousand years back.

For all we know, it could be a temporary fluke and we'll snap back to something else. We could be beings with no default to snap back to, ever changing, destined to dissolve the prevalence of cult figures into something else in the following eras.

In a few thousand years we could totally see this practice as some distant-past thing like making clay pots or carrying Roman dodecahedrons.

The new cultural trend could become jumping off cliffs, and someone would be arguing that it's inevitable human nature.

By the way, no rush to de-mythologize. I'm not fighting any dragon here, you do you.

	▲	MomsAVoxell 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> a few thousand years back I beg to differ, but okay. I don’t disagree to your allusions that there is a banality to mob idolatry, but that’s a discussion for other forums, ironically.