It's fine to say ideas are wrong, and that people are wrong for expressing them, but if you don't attempt to explain WHY they're wrong, it's not really criticism it's just character assasination. Perhaps, as you say in the other response, he's written well & extensively about
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I skimmed Murray's piece but I remember it striking me as a puff piece from a guy who already agreed with Peterson & wasn't really engaging deeply, so if I understand your question correctly then yes.
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I've given up. I can't get to the bottom of your objection except that it seems to be that he should have both written from a different angle - an epistemic one rather than a psychological one - and acknowledged value in the ideas - even if he didn't think they had any.
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No, that's not it, I don't feel I have the right to dictate his subject or tone. I'm out of ways to rephrase so I'll have to go think about it for a while.
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OK. I really am genuinely confused. Not being difficult. Goodnight!
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If I specify the grounds on which a critique is based, you can respond either on those grounds or by changing them. If I say, "there is no empirical evidence of God", you can either provide some or change the parameters of the debate. But either way we can have the debate.
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But if I say, "the Qur'an is bullshit" without specifying grounds, I've taken the objective perspective & it's just a provocation. It might be justified, and I certainly have the right to do it, but I should expect nothing but hostility b/c there's no debate to be had.
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Having re-read James' piece, he makes sweeping statements & bases his critiques on unexamined assumptions about the negativity of religious thought without specifying the grounds for that judgment. Instead of a good-faith argument, it comes across as condescension--of course
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these ideas are wrong. He's welcome to that opinion, but not to the idea that it's self-evident. That's what makes it a provocation. Please note that I'm not saying he should change his subject matter or tone, or questioning the devotion of JBP's followers, and I'm certainly not
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