4 ms·

Diversity is the very reason you and I even exist. So whether you like it or not it's one of the best things if you care about progress of any sorts.

snowwrestler 10y ago
Let's say Facebook added David Duke to their board. That would significantly increase the diversity of thought: Duke would bring many ideas and beliefs to the board that the current board members don't hold. Would that be better or worse for social progress? See, social progress is not just a spreading-out of more and more and more social ideas. It is a definite direction. Less slavery, not more. More tolerance, not less. Less sexual assault, not more. Social progress requires decisions and commitments. It requires people to change their minds, which means discarding one idea for another. Not trying to hold more and more contradictory ideas in their heads at the same time. Zuckerberg has every right to decide to keep Thiel on the FB board. But he also has the right to ask Thiel to leave, and doing so would not be any less principled than keeping him. Both decisions rest on the same principle, which is that Zuckerberg is free to make his own decisions about who he associates with.
- ThomPete 10y ago
  You are taking a point made in about diversity in general and applying it to a single case. I hope you understand what's wrong about that.
  - snowwrestler 10y ago
    I'm making the point that one cannot talk about diversity in general. The word means very different things in different contexts. Political beliefs are not the same thing as race or gender.
    - ThomPete 10y ago
      Of course you can talk about diversity in general. It doesn't actually mean different things in different context but it has different consequences IMO.
      - snowwrestler 10y ago
        With respect, I don't think you've thought about this very carefully. If you feel you have, I'd be interested in your response to any of my detailed points above. edit: softened the tone
        ThomPete 10y ago
        The difference we are having is not with the details but with the fundamental principle you approach this from vs. how I approach it. Diversity is by default at good thing by exception a bad thing. Thats my base point and I thought about that quite a lot.

snowwrestler 10y ago

Let's say Facebook added David Duke to their board. That would significantly increase the diversity of thought: Duke would bring many ideas and beliefs to the board that the current board members don't hold. Would that be better or worse for social progress? See, social progress is not just a spreading-out of more and more and more social ideas. It is a definite direction. Less slavery, not more. More tolerance, not less. Less sexual assault, not more. Social progress requires decisions and commitments. It requires people to change their minds, which means discarding one idea for another. Not trying to hold more and more contradictory ideas in their heads at the same time. Zuckerberg has every right to decide to keep Thiel on the FB board. But he also has the right to ask Thiel to leave, and doing so would not be any less principled than keeping him. Both decisions rest on the same principle, which is that Zuckerberg is free to make his own decisions about who he associates with.

ThomPete 10y ago
You are taking a point made in about diversity in general and applying it to a single case. I hope you understand what's wrong about that.
- snowwrestler 10y ago
  I'm making the point that one cannot talk about diversity in general. The word means very different things in different contexts. Political beliefs are not the same thing as race or gender.
  - ThomPete 10y ago
    Of course you can talk about diversity in general. It doesn't actually mean different things in different context but it has different consequences IMO.
    - snowwrestler 10y ago
      With respect, I don't think you've thought about this very carefully. If you feel you have, I'd be interested in your response to any of my detailed points above. edit: softened the tone
      - ThomPete 10y ago
        The difference we are having is not with the details but with the fundamental principle you approach this from vs. how I approach it. Diversity is by default at good thing by exception a bad thing. Thats my base point and I thought about that quite a lot.