Apprentice comments on Something's Wrong - Less Wrong

82 [deleted] 05 September 2010 06:08PM

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Comment author: Apprentice 06 September 2010 10:55:00AM *  6 points [-]

The content of abolitionist propaganda, the strength of its arguments as compared to those of pro-slavery propaganda, would sway a Martian observer trying to decide what he thought about slavery.

This is so not a debate I'd want a Martian to adjudicate. How would a Martian evaluate questions like this:

  • Does the Bible support slavery or abolitionism?
  • Does slavery agree or disagree with the inherent rights of man?

I guess a Martian could try to evaluate some empirical questions that may be relevant:

  • Do the black people have a natural slave mentality? More generally: Are there any significant biological cognitive differences between blacks and whites?
  • Will abolition lead to a slippery slope ending in full equality and integration of black and white people, including intermarriage?

But I fear the Martians will bring their own criteria into play. Those might be anything. Say:

  • Since we Martians have a natural slave caste doesn't it seem likely that the humans do too?
  • Would the abolition of slavery ultimately increase or decrease the number of paperclips?