2 ms·

You mean ideas? The left often doesn’t want to critique ideas because they conflate that with cultural bigotry, especially if the ideas are linked to things li

by api 3y ago

You mean ideas? The left often doesn’t want to critique ideas because they conflate that with cultural bigotry, especially if the ideas are linked to things like religions. The right doesn’t like the ideas explanation because they believe in biological determinism and think it must be race. Find an image of North and South Korea from space. Those people are genetically almost identical. What’s the difference? Ideas. Why did Europe suddenly become the worlds powerhouse right after the enlightenment when before it was poorer than many places in Asia and the Middle East? The ideas changed. Have the dominant ideas and mentalities in South Africa changed? How? That’s the question I would ask.

nickdothutton 3y ago
I think this is a useful framing. North Koreans have the brains, the organisational skills, and the drive to build an ICBM and a bomb, in spite of the fact that most of the rest of the world is against them, and most of their own people don’t even have enough to eat. Rather like the last white South African administration in that regard (although I believe they had some help from a friend with their free fall bombs), who had enough to eat but were sanctioned heavily but still managed to operate functioning cities.
cmh89 3y ago
>Those people are genetically almost identical. I'm assuming (and hoping) you mean culturally identical because all humans are nearly genetically identical. >Those people are genetically almost identical. What’s the difference? Ideas. And trade sanctions, and the support of super powers. >Why did Europe suddenly become the worlds powerhouse right after the enlightenment when before it was poorer than many places in Asia and the Middle East? The ideas changed. I guess it was a 'change in ideas', it also might have had to do with colonization of the practice of exploiting poorer countries and repatriating their wealth.

by api 3y ago

nickdothutton 3y ago

I think this is a useful framing. North Koreans have the brains, the organisational skills, and the drive to build an ICBM and a bomb, in spite of the fact that most of the rest of the world is against them, and most of their own people don’t even have enough to eat. Rather like the last white South African administration in that regard (although I believe they had some help from a friend with their free fall bombs), who had enough to eat but were sanctioned heavily but still managed to operate functioning cities.

cmh89 3y ago

>Those people are genetically almost identical. I'm assuming (and hoping) you mean culturally identical because all humans are nearly genetically identical. >Those people are genetically almost identical. What’s the difference? Ideas. And trade sanctions, and the support of super powers. >Why did Europe suddenly become the worlds powerhouse right after the enlightenment when before it was poorer than many places in Asia and the Middle East? The ideas changed. I guess it was a 'change in ideas', it also might have had to do with colonization of the practice of exploiting poorer countries and repatriating their wealth.