tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270379.post5408550206984257308..comments2024-01-27T20:13:38.669-08:00Comments on I could be wrong....: Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15686012908579078418noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270379.post-11327226301723440222017-08-16T08:56:22.999-07:002017-08-16T08:56:22.999-07:00I agree completely that individuals may not always...I agree completely that individuals may not always be pursuing their own personal rational self-interest in affiliating themselves with, and accepting the goals and opinions of, a particular political tribe. For example, some people get irrational emotional benefits from joining a tribe--social status, acceptance from desired peers, a sense of loyalty to family, and so on--that can overwhelm Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15686012908579078418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270379.post-87662340083358587602017-08-10T15:00:20.852-07:002017-08-10T15:00:20.852-07:001) I said "ever-shifting", you said &quo...1) I said "ever-shifting", you said "turn on a dime". Tomato, tomato.<br /><br />2,3) With enough imagination, just about ANY action can be viewed as rational -- 72 virgins, an infinite supply of high-paying "diversity" positions, etc. But this trivializes the concept of "rational". For example, when the leaders of BLM (black lives etc) sir up a violent, LTEChttp://icouldbewrong.blogspot.ca/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270379.post-20104586915478790192017-08-09T21:26:40.969-07:002017-08-09T21:26:40.969-07:001) I never said that the followers of ideologies d...1) I never said that the followers of ideologies don't fervently believe in them. What I'm claiming that the "ideology" in which they believe is (whether they are consciously aware of it or not) an embodiment of the interests of their tribe or coalition, rather than any specific set of abstract principles that that tribe or coalition might currently be claiming to embrace. It&Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15686012908579078418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270379.post-82529126726314172192017-08-09T19:26:29.395-07:002017-08-09T19:26:29.395-07:00I agree that feminists are hardly self loathing. B...I agree that feminists are hardly self loathing. But why does Dan insist that "ideologies are always rationalizations of the selfish interests of a group or coalition, pursued coldly and efficiently"? Why isn't it possible that many people really believe their (ever-shifting) ideologies? After all, people often make great sacrifices, including giving up their lives, for their cause.LTEChttp://icouldbewrong.blogspot.ca/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270379.post-49864467629905691062017-08-07T22:36:11.848-07:002017-08-07T22:36:11.848-07:00Two thoughts in response:
1) The takeover of ma...Two thoughts in response: <br /><br />1) The takeover of major academic institutions by power-seeking political coalitions is by now very familiar. It's also very understandable, for the reasons I've outlined before: an unaccountable, self-governing organization with no external controls will inevitably come to be dominated by a power-seeking political coalition, because that's theDanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15686012908579078418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270379.post-54512333743431797082017-08-07T04:23:18.955-07:002017-08-07T04:23:18.955-07:00See also Lubos Motl - acerbic, grating, highly int...<br />See also Lubos Motl - acerbic, grating, highly intelligent physics contrarian - on this affair https://motls.blogspot.com/2017/08/james-damore-deserves-1-million-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LuboMotlsReferenceFrame+%28Lubos+Motl%27s+reference+frame%29<br /><br />My sister was at Harvard at the time of l'affaire Summers (a supporter of his, Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14861523846129940899noreply@blogger.com