Many "progressive" social science types are committed to the belief that it's possible to "fix" inequality of outcome. Pinker's rejection of "blank slatism" threatens that belief. That's a big reason he's disliked.
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Replying to @PhilosophyExp
I'm not, and am yet to meet, a progressive who believes in the equality of outcome so often portrayed, unless it means "the room to achieve the life that one wishes to achieve." I count as a Social Science type. Undertaking Master's in Psychological Research Methods at Birkbeck
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Replying to @COEXISTential
Well you obviously haven't met many sociologists (I'm a Sociology PhD).
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Replying to @PhilosophyExp @COEXISTential
well that is even a misunderstanding of left wing sociologists. Those who believe it is possible to create equality of outcome want to see changes in society where everyone is treated as of equal worth
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Replying to @deeogrady909 @COEXISTential
Are you a sociologist? My experience is that left-wing sociologists aim to explain all inequality in outcome in terms of social forces.
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Replying to @PhilosophyExp @COEXISTential
Does it say on my profile I'm a sociologist? I did study it though so have met a few. Well social forces are actually still very important and the big difference between sociologists and psychologists is that they attempt to address those problems
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Replying to @deeogrady909 @COEXISTential
Well, of course social forces are important - but Pinker, and those of us who reject the blank slate idea, would never deny it. Lefty sociologists *do* routinely deny that individual differences are implicated in social inequality.
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Replying to @PhilosophyExp @COEXISTential
maybe they do but the fact remains that what they want to see are changes in society for the reasons stated earlier wheraas psychology as a discipline appears to merely reinforce stereotypes and the status quo
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Replying to @deeogrady909 @COEXISTential
I think you're basically right, though - sociologists tend to be politically committed, and their output is fundamentally influenced by that fact. Less true in psychology (I suspect).
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Replying to @PhilosophyExp @COEXISTential
Have a look at the twitter feeds of the most vocal psychologists and you'll see plenty of evidence of right wing political beliefs. A social science methodology that doesn't question societal inputs is by definition conservative, maybe why they are attracted to the discipline
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But the focus of psychology tends to be the individual, and often not in a social context, so of course it's less likely to be concerned with social transformation!
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Replying to @PhilosophyExp @COEXISTential
yep that's the problem. But they also like to take digs at those who do emphasise the social context
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