4 ms·
Because a good propagandist does two things: 1. Ground the argument in some vestige of reality (the reliance on statistics is very strong). 2. Point out the op
by slphil 9y ago
Because a good propagandist does two things:
1. Ground the argument in some vestige of reality (the reliance on statistics is very strong).
2. Point out the opposing denial of reality (magical thinking, social constructionism, blank slate lunacy) in order to push the radically opposite perspective without nuance.
This is inherently isolating but also makes the adherents feel very powerful. Think pieces like this do not oppose but rather support the cause they purport to be against, since the ideological leanings of the writer are plainly obvious and their own denials of reality stick out like a sore thumb.
As long as the political left is dominated by social constructionism and other lunacy, the alt-right will never be exterminated. The task ahead of us is not trivial.
- misterHN 9y ago> the alt-right will never be exterminated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilting_at_windmills https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilting_at_windmills
- fahayekwasright 9y agoSocial constructionism is lunacy why?
- slphil 9y agoBecause it's factually wrong. Biology matters, and I'm not trying to bring in concepts like race (which is a total intellectual disaster, since the term refers to multiple concepts that mean radically different things). Many studies do not account for simple heredity, when adoption studies have already shown that traits like IQ and even personality are heritable to some degree (1). There are genetic correlations with intelligence, aggression, etc that are difficult to untangle but undeniably real. Humans are incredibly unique animals, but you are still a biological machine and your brain is not a piece of magic pixie dust. Without getting into the free will debate, biology does not determine behavior but does influence it heavily. Edit: I'm not denying the existence of culture or social norms. These matter, but are also undoubtedly linked to the biological machinery of the human animal. Human society is an evolutionary result (2). Second edit: It's very easy to find evidence that the social evolution of humans is a biological process. Here is one of my favorite papers on the self-domestication of the human species (3). 1: https://www.amazon.com/Blank-Slate-Modern-Denial-Nature/dp/0142003344 https://www.amazon.com/Blank-Slate-Modern-Denial-Nature/dp/0... 2: https://www.amazon.com/Before-Dawn-Recovering-History-Ancestors/dp/014303832X https://www.amazon.com/Before-Dawn-Recovering-History-Ancest... 3: http://resources.seattlecentral.edu/faculty/jwhorley/Gracilization.pdf http://resources.seattlecentral.edu/faculty/jwhorley/Gracili...