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comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  3787 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Someone to Hate

Thank you -- I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I understand your criticism, and you have a point. It is certainly possible, maybe even common, to use an argument against a culture simply as a proxy for racism or some other form of bias -- on the other hand what happens when you invalidate cultural criticism on that basis? Do we really want to say that female genital mutilation, for example, is ok because opposing it might be construed as hidden racism? Isn't that form of double standard itself a form of racism?

I agree with your other observations for the most part.

I posted on free will some time ago, and always love to discuss that topic.

http://cadwaladr.blogspot.com/2010/03/case-against-existence-of-free-will.html

My arguments are different from the ones Harris uses. It sounds like Harris came close to echoing B.F. Skinner with regard to the notion of personal responsibility. Except that Skinner would have acknowledged the efficacy of punishment in shaping behavior.

Great stuff! Which implications were you interested in?