Optimism

Nice and thought-provoking comment from one markt on LtU:

One of the things that stands out to me about APL, and CS in general is the pure, unfettered optimism concerning the human condition. What other field of human endeavor seeks to provide tools to enhance human productivety and intelligence, to augment the facutlties of the mind? The implicit assumption that this can be done is a leap of hope in the purist form.

"Tools for thinking" I mean who would think of such a thing? Seems like this goes unstated a lot of the time, I imagine most of us here take it for granted. But it really is an amazing proposition (imo).