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"Shockley, by advocating such genetic-determinist views on race and intelligence, seemed like an atavistic throwback, to a time in America’s history when immigr
by js8 8y ago
"Shockley, by advocating such genetic-determinist views on race and intelligence, seemed like an atavistic throwback, to a time in America’s history when immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe (particularly Jewish immigrants) were screened out because of their alleged intellectual inferiority to the superior Nordic races."
I think it shows how easy is it to misapply the idea of genetic (or natural) origin of intelligence.
Jews were regarded as inferior in intelligence despite the fact that there is an actual evidence that they are not.
I believe that some humans simply want to be xenophobes, and the actual reality doesn't matter for the categorization.
In any case, I find the characters like Shockley to be very interesting. Apparently, they want to change society for the better but somehow "forget" that people have agency; the reason why to change society should always come from the wishes of individuals.
There is an element of psychopath here, regarding people as things, trying to arrange them (the society) so that it follows certain pattern that is pleasant to the eye of the person who wants to arrange it. And this is not tied to any particular ideology. Plato, Ayn Rand, Lenin, Shockley.. they all wanted a very similar thing.
- rphlx 8y agoI certainly agree with the top half of your post but I believe the bottom is mischaracterizing Rand. As far as I know she did not wish to form a violent authoritarian state a la Lenin to "plan" society into a certain pattern. She seemed to think her desires would, when enough constraints on reasoned self-interest were removed, realize themselves through individual action. And she certainly did not forget that individuals have agency; on the contrary, Objectivism relies on individual self-interest to the intentional exclusion of pretty much all else.
- js8 8y agoAh, I see, perhaps I am being unfair to her. I deliberately omitted Marx from the list for a reason - by your description, his views were somewhat similar to Rand, not prescriptive, but descriptive. That is, if we just stop meddling with the human nature, we will arrive at society that looks like <whatever they wrote about>. Unfortunately, neither in Marx's or Rand's case, this is not what will happen. Both are utopian. But yeah, in my post, I should have probably used somebody who is more prescriptive of the society based on selfishness than Rand. I think somebody like Hayek would likely fit the bill better.
- onemoresoop 8y agoRand was vehemently opposed socialist programs but she ended up collecting social security benefits..
- rphlx 8y agoIf the government offers you a rebate of prior taxes paid, it's rational and in your self interest to accept it, even if you do not think the program providing it should exist.
- onemoresoop 8y agoAbsolutely, but seems very hypocritical she was so vehemently against any such programs, against paying taxes, against all that until she got into a different position when she needed it, and she accepted it. No words on changing her mind one iota on her philosophy of selfishness.