What to Think
Back in January, Paul Graham wrote a thought-provoking essay on “moral fashions”, behaviors/beliefs considered moral/proper by the inhabitants of a particular time/place. Hmm - that may be one slash too many. Anyway, it’s in your best interest to read it. Here’s a representative excerpt:
If a statement is false, that’s the worst thing you can say about it. You don’t need to say that it’s heretical. And if it isn’t false, it shouldn’t be suppressed. So when you see statements being attacked as x-ist or y-ic (substitute your current values of x and y), whether in 1630 or 2030, that’s a sure sign that something is wrong. When you hear such labels being used, ask why.
On a somewhat related note, recent world events have led me to the irrefutable conclusion that harmful memes are behind most of the world’s problems. Expect a more complete, more rant-like treatment of this topic in the near future.
