All of these depend wholly on the idea that the truth, and being right matter, and are universally seen as good. If it actually suits you to lie, and deceive other people into supporting you, then the equation turns upside down. Then, you find free speech to be completely antithetical to your aims.
All of these depend wholly on the idea that the truth, and being right matter, and are universally seen as good. If it actually suits you to lie, and deceive other people into supporting you, then the equation turns upside down. Then, you find free speech to be completely antithetical to your aims.
In that case, it's unacceptable to allow people to correct you. You have no intention of getting closer to the truth, and you need free speech restricted to prevent dissent, disagreement, and attempts to disprove you.
This reminds me a little of Steven Pinker's "Rationality," where he asks dissenters some form of "How are you going to convince me that reason doesn't matter, if not through reasoning?"
If someone claims to not care about the truth, doesn't think the truth is good, and doesn't think being right matters...what are they going to do with this information? If they try to argue it, they are behaving as though "the truth doesn't matter" is true and that "being right" is good by attempting to persuade others.
If they don't bother with that and instead employ any and all authoritarian means to get their way, it's obviously because they think they're right to do so—which means being right (and by extension, the truth) matters.
In either case, they are in the "I'm 100% correct" camp described in the piece above, and their failure to utilize Mill's trident simply puts them in league with the Lysenkos and Stalins of the world.
There's no escaping the fact that objective reality exists outside our perception, and there's no escaping Mill's trident as the only productive way to engage with that reality.
Depending on your view, “bias” may play an equally important role in your life as “truth.” For example you might give up a bit of truth for a bit of group cohesion. You might give up a bit of free speech for a bit of respect; or order; or productivity.
Bias plays an important role in choosing a college. In this post I describe how to use FIRE’s viewpoint ratio to make friends and predict campus discourse. The viewpoint ratio will help you find a cultural fit for college. It’s not all about truth. Bias may be equally important.
All of these depend wholly on the idea that the truth, and being right matter, and are universally seen as good. If it actually suits you to lie, and deceive other people into supporting you, then the equation turns upside down. Then, you find free speech to be completely antithetical to your aims.
In that case, it's unacceptable to allow people to correct you. You have no intention of getting closer to the truth, and you need free speech restricted to prevent dissent, disagreement, and attempts to disprove you.
This reminds me a little of Steven Pinker's "Rationality," where he asks dissenters some form of "How are you going to convince me that reason doesn't matter, if not through reasoning?"
If someone claims to not care about the truth, doesn't think the truth is good, and doesn't think being right matters...what are they going to do with this information? If they try to argue it, they are behaving as though "the truth doesn't matter" is true and that "being right" is good by attempting to persuade others.
If they don't bother with that and instead employ any and all authoritarian means to get their way, it's obviously because they think they're right to do so—which means being right (and by extension, the truth) matters.
In either case, they are in the "I'm 100% correct" camp described in the piece above, and their failure to utilize Mill's trident simply puts them in league with the Lysenkos and Stalins of the world.
There's no escaping the fact that objective reality exists outside our perception, and there's no escaping Mill's trident as the only productive way to engage with that reality.
Depending on your view, “bias” may play an equally important role in your life as “truth.” For example you might give up a bit of truth for a bit of group cohesion. You might give up a bit of free speech for a bit of respect; or order; or productivity.
Bias plays an important role in choosing a college. In this post I describe how to use FIRE’s viewpoint ratio to make friends and predict campus discourse. The viewpoint ratio will help you find a cultural fit for college. It’s not all about truth. Bias may be equally important.
https://open.substack.com/pub/scottgibb/p/how-to-choose-a-college?r=nb3bl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Liberals now allow each their own truth.
You’re mocking his assertion that capital T Truth can be a rationalization for aggression? That idea is completely in alignment with this post.