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> empty political fashion Look around this HN thread and similar discussions. What is the current fashion? It looks like it is the genetic determinism, and dis

> empty political fashion Look around this HN thread and similar discussions. What is the current fashion? It looks like it is the genetic determinism, and disregard for human liberty and self-determination. It's trendy to disregard the latter and engage with these ideas, in the political realm from nationalists to fascists - a large political trend around the world now - to the social realm with genetic determinism. It's no coincidence that the trendy political ideology has found science to cover it - it's exactly what happened in the 20th century with both Nazism and Communism. The outcomes of these trends, if successful, are predictable; it would take ignorance, not a genetic defect, not to know what the consequences are. What do we lose when we sacrifice individual freedom and self-determination? Who gets to choose, if not the individual for themself?

iguy 8y ago
Part of what maintains the current fashion is this assertion that knowing certain facts might turn us into monsters. It’s unclear to me why so many people not only believe this, but think it so obvious as to require no justification. Note that the two monstrous systems you cite had almost exactly opposite views on the matter. Nazism as everyone knows glorified what you call genetic determinism, but Communism was strongly against such things, for both humans and wheat. They were going to sculpt the new soviet man, remember, by fixing his environment, and they failed at this. Isn’t the existence of evil on both sides of a question evidence against the idea that one side is obviously evil? Both regimes were pretty keen on sacrifice, and not so keen on individual freedom. On the other hand, I’m pretty keen on freedom and self-determination. I’m also keen on knowing stuff about how the world, I don’t see how keeping ourselves in the dark will lead to better decisions.
- Viliam1234 8y ago
  It is interesting how "it's 100% genes" and "it's 100% environment" can both be 100% against the individual. In either case your fate is determined by your genes/environment, and there is nothing YOU can do about it. It is government's job to either select the worthy ones and purge the unworthy ones, or brainwash everyone into the desired shape (and purge those who somehow resist the brainwashing).
  - iguy 8y ago
    This is true, but "no real opinion" can also be 100% against the individual. Look at the Saudis for instance, anyone think they have bothered to have a strong position on this? They care about royal blood lines obviously... but that's different. The problem isn't the science or anti-science. The problem is absolute power, which is all too easy to use for evil.

iguy 8y ago

Part of what maintains the current fashion is this assertion that knowing certain facts might turn us into monsters. It’s unclear to me why so many people not only believe this, but think it so obvious as to require no justification. Note that the two monstrous systems you cite had almost exactly opposite views on the matter. Nazism as everyone knows glorified what you call genetic determinism, but Communism was strongly against such things, for both humans and wheat. They were going to sculpt the new soviet man, remember, by fixing his environment, and they failed at this. Isn’t the existence of evil on both sides of a question evidence against the idea that one side is obviously evil? Both regimes were pretty keen on sacrifice, and not so keen on individual freedom. On the other hand, I’m pretty keen on freedom and self-determination. I’m also keen on knowing stuff about how the world, I don’t see how keeping ourselves in the dark will lead to better decisions.

Viliam1234 8y ago
It is interesting how "it's 100% genes" and "it's 100% environment" can both be 100% against the individual. In either case your fate is determined by your genes/environment, and there is nothing YOU can do about it. It is government's job to either select the worthy ones and purge the unworthy ones, or brainwash everyone into the desired shape (and purge those who somehow resist the brainwashing).
- iguy 8y ago
  This is true, but "no real opinion" can also be 100% against the individual. Look at the Saudis for instance, anyone think they have bothered to have a strong position on this? They care about royal blood lines obviously... but that's different. The problem isn't the science or anti-science. The problem is absolute power, which is all too easy to use for evil.