So you read ESR's definition of hacker in step 1 but instead focus on what he called "cracker"[1] in step 2/3/4 (not 4b)/5? Either you misunderstood "hacker" or unintentionally gave a misleading example of learning...
No, I used both definitions. As you can clearly see I stated:
> Congratulations, you are now a hacker in every sense of the word:
> 1. You broke into computer systems.
> 2. You needed to be curious in order to do it.
There are multiple ways to get to 2. This is one of them. There are multiple ways to get to 1. This is one of them.
I simply leave it in the middle as to who gets to decide what the definition of a hacker is. I simply took both definitions that I know to be defined by hackers themselves (point 2) and the media/general public (point 1).
Subverting computer systems to let it do other things that you want is very very much a part of the definition of 2. Which is how breaking into computer systems and following your technical curiosity can overlap.
But I would totally agree with you that we'd live in a sad world if my path was the only way in which people became hackers.
Also note that Hacker News is on there as a bonus and if it wasn't as distracting as it is, then I'd put it there as mandatory. HN stimulates purely the curiosity part of hacking.
[1]: http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#what_is