I agree with the principle in theory but I’m not convinced it applies universally, Patrick.
Taken to its logical conclusion, it could be used to justify anything. There are still empire apologists for British colonialism in India, just as there are those who attempt to rationalize the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany during World War II, or even those unfolding in conflicts today.
I think openness to differing perspectives is important, but it has to be balanced with clear moral boundaries.
For me, it’s more about an approach to reasoning, cultivating the ability to seriously consider opposing perspectives so we’re less prone to dogma. That doesn’t mean suspending moral judgement or treating all views as equally valid
This is a rather bracing tonic to some of my long-held distaste for the ideas of conservatives in general (Epitomized by the anti-intellectual tripe of the U.S.’s deeply embarrassing 80s President, Ronald Reagan), without examining these ideas and some of their inherent logic and truth more closely.
Decades ago I recall dismissing Sowell as just another conservative, Friedman-ish polemicist. And, I deeply disliked Milton Friedman. Doing a bit of research tonight, I can more clearly see why you appreciate Sowell’s inversion of standard economic and social dogmas, and that the social ills that plague the under and lower classes stemming from poverty, are more complex problems of geography, class, education, family history and the like, and not necessarily stemming mostly from race and oppression.
However, the immmorality of capitalism, systemic racism, and discrimination based on race, has to be consistently at the forefront of society’s efforts to combat inequality, in part by means of government programs and funding at all levels — federal, state and local — for workable and tested solutions.
Thanks for the perspective, John. Yes, it’s about moving away from ideology and recognising the value of alternative views - the dialectic helps us grow
“Well, the way of paradoxes is the way of truth. To test reality we must see it on the tight rope. When the verities become acrobats, we can judge them.” - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. This is a quote that arrested me when I read the book as a youth and that I’ve carried in me as me continues to reveal itself to me. There’s something very “Allan Wattsian” in the point you are making here, and while I agree with a certain commenter who talked about caution in the way that we understand some of these notions— such as that on affirmative action (which I used to be against but have over time revised my stance on whild holding space for the truth in what detractors posit), and I believe in the spirit of what you are saying, which is that we must hold the complexity of truth in our hearts, be able to do the unwieldy work of digesting paradox and finding the formless space in between, just as we find the space in between thought or even breath, for that’s where truth lies. Thank you for sharing the manifestations of your mind which always make not only think, but pause.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Dani, and sharing your background, I really appreciate it. The perspectives you share on Sowell's arguments add a great deal of colour to topics that are incredibly complex and subjective
I agree with the principle in theory but I’m not convinced it applies universally, Patrick.
Taken to its logical conclusion, it could be used to justify anything. There are still empire apologists for British colonialism in India, just as there are those who attempt to rationalize the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany during World War II, or even those unfolding in conflicts today.
I think openness to differing perspectives is important, but it has to be balanced with clear moral boundaries.
For me, it’s more about an approach to reasoning, cultivating the ability to seriously consider opposing perspectives so we’re less prone to dogma. That doesn’t mean suspending moral judgement or treating all views as equally valid
This is a rather bracing tonic to some of my long-held distaste for the ideas of conservatives in general (Epitomized by the anti-intellectual tripe of the U.S.’s deeply embarrassing 80s President, Ronald Reagan), without examining these ideas and some of their inherent logic and truth more closely.
Decades ago I recall dismissing Sowell as just another conservative, Friedman-ish polemicist. And, I deeply disliked Milton Friedman. Doing a bit of research tonight, I can more clearly see why you appreciate Sowell’s inversion of standard economic and social dogmas, and that the social ills that plague the under and lower classes stemming from poverty, are more complex problems of geography, class, education, family history and the like, and not necessarily stemming mostly from race and oppression.
However, the immmorality of capitalism, systemic racism, and discrimination based on race, has to be consistently at the forefront of society’s efforts to combat inequality, in part by means of government programs and funding at all levels — federal, state and local — for workable and tested solutions.
Thanks for the perspective, John. Yes, it’s about moving away from ideology and recognising the value of alternative views - the dialectic helps us grow
Be careful with Sowell, lol. He’s controversial.
“Well, the way of paradoxes is the way of truth. To test reality we must see it on the tight rope. When the verities become acrobats, we can judge them.” - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. This is a quote that arrested me when I read the book as a youth and that I’ve carried in me as me continues to reveal itself to me. There’s something very “Allan Wattsian” in the point you are making here, and while I agree with a certain commenter who talked about caution in the way that we understand some of these notions— such as that on affirmative action (which I used to be against but have over time revised my stance on whild holding space for the truth in what detractors posit), and I believe in the spirit of what you are saying, which is that we must hold the complexity of truth in our hearts, be able to do the unwieldy work of digesting paradox and finding the formless space in between, just as we find the space in between thought or even breath, for that’s where truth lies. Thank you for sharing the manifestations of your mind which always make not only think, but pause.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Dani, and sharing your background, I really appreciate it. The perspectives you share on Sowell's arguments add a great deal of colour to topics that are incredibly complex and subjective