What is your point, @sapinker? Madeleine Albright is by no definition a "humanist." "Causality" is a tricky word. Periods of chaos + social breakdown, historically speaking, have sometimes been exploited by authoritarian leaders to become fascistic states. Period.
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Humanities refers to a certain area of educational subjects taught in school. No real connection to the concept of Humanism.
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It's almost the disciplinary equivalent of an ad hominem argument. Just silly is all. Historical argumentation is typically very careful about assigning "causality" but complex in analyzing trends and confluences and influences.
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An ad hominem is an attack on a person rather than a position. Clearly Pinker was not making any point related to Albright personally but her argument.
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Holding my breath for the day politicians cite the proportion of variance explained by their predictor of choice!
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When the State of the Union starts with a review of Bayes' theorem...
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I admire you, Dr. Pinker, but you're seriously oversimplifying the argument of the article to score rhetorical points. The article mentions three different conditions that held in fascist countries. And I gather it's only a fraction of Albright's argument in the book.
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Thank you! Exactly.
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And: 'But problems only become opportunities for fascists and other antidemocrats if their opponents can’t or won’t address them.' This is the bigger issue/danger, and it isn't 'conservatives' or right-wing opponents who is not letting opposition in... So.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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This is not ‘science’. It’s ‘rigour’. It’s what any historian who last studied science at 16 would say. I’m sure you don’t really think that basic logic is an attribute of science rather than humanities, but this kind of phrasing makes it way to assume you do.
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I just got punched in the face and now my nose is broken. My friend also punched in the face, but their nose isn't broken. Do you think the punch in the face didn't cause my nose to break? Asking for me.
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Maybe we need more humanities in the sciences, so people can understand that "cause" is complicated.pic.twitter.com/Z9SzFwh0qG
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Also needs more critical thinking when she says "there's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women", as if being a woman means we must support the likes of Marine Le Pen or Michelle Bachmann for high office.
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Were there non-chaotic countries that became fascist? If not - then we can safely, scientifically conclude that chaos is likely a necessary condition for fascism to take hold, even if it does not do so in every event. 'Smoking kills' is not disproved by a few old, living smokers
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This is a sound argument, but capable of being dealt with. Because if you look at anytime a country falls into chaos, the only thing that is likely to happen. Is that the political system changes in a non-benign way. Chaos fell on the colonies, and almost all are democratic now.
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So chaos doesn’t necessarily lead to fascism, but it still could be a necessary factor.
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