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Google Would Remind My Grandpa of the Arrogant White Invaders
- CWuestefeld 17y agoInteresting article, and things we should be thinking about. I think he derails, though, when he loses track of what governments are forcing us to filter versus what Google (or whomever) decides that they don't want to deal with.
- maxharris 17y agoDon't be fooled by these arguments. Issues of race (we should be completely blind to race in our moral evaluations of people) and "pride in culture" (which is disgusting and second-handed - people should make themselves, not passively copy their neighbors or ancestors for every step of their lives) are not important in this China vs. Google thing. The essential issue is that of individual rights. I say that individual rights are universal (and you should, too!) This is because rights are necessary to sustain human lives; individual rights stem from man's nature, which is defined by biological and mental characteristics that are unique to humans (the conditional nature of man's existence and the conceptual nature of human thought.) Chinese people are humans just like the rest of us, and for them to live fully, happily and most healthily, their individual rights must be respected. By removing themselves from China, Google is removing their moral sanction of a regime that violates individual rights. By doing so, Google's actions advance the cause of individual rights, so you should be proud of them! (I should add that I'm not against people that choose on their own accord to take part in some cultural tradition, as long as they themselves actually enjoy it, and that the tradition doesn't necessarily violate the individual rights of another.)
- balding_n_tired 17y agoI look forward to learning modesty from the Middle Kingdom.