You're looking at Less Wrong's discussion board. This includes all posts, including those that haven't been promoted to the front page yet. For more information, see About Less Wrong.

JoshuaZ comments on Irrationalism on Campus? - Less Wrong Discussion

3 Post author: HalMorris 20 November 2014 07:17PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (43)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: JoshuaZ 21 November 2014 04:03:59PM -1 points [-]

It isn't rationalism to to give the most uncharitable definition of a movement or group possible.

Comment author: Lumifer 21 November 2014 04:31:54PM 4 points [-]

Oh, that's not the "most uncharitable" definition by far. I can easily come up with much worse.

I happen to think my definition is correct and I don't see any particular reason to be extra-charitable about it.

Comment author: JoshuaZ 21 November 2014 05:35:39PM 0 points [-]

There's no need to be "extra-charitable" but it is helpful to give unbiased definitions of a group. If you want to then say "and I think that what they really act like is X" that's a distinct step, but actively defining a political movement to be something that they would not self-identify as is heavily in the mind-killing territory.

Comment author: Lumifer 21 November 2014 05:53:09PM 6 points [-]

actively defining a political movement to be something that they would not self-identify as is heavily in the mind-killing territory.

I disagree. I don't see why a useful definition of a political movement has to match their self-identification.

Comment author: JoshuaZ 21 November 2014 06:08:47PM -2 points [-]

Becuause that's not a definition, that's a description, and it builds into the situation a No-True-Scotsman situation into any dispute. It is therefore far more useful to keep distinct the self-identity of a movement and then state descriptively what the people who self-identify as such in practice act like.

Comment author: Lumifer 22 November 2014 02:05:09AM *  4 points [-]

It is therefore far more useful to keep distinct the self-identity of a movement and then state descriptively what the people who self-identify as such in practice act like.

Oookay then. Let's look at my post. Here it is in its entirety:

SJ = Social Justice, a framework of looking at the world as a fight against omnipresent oppression, mostly by white men of everyone else.

Oh! You said "it is therefore far more useful to keep distinct the self-identity of a movement" and here it is:

SJ = Social Justice

and then you said "and then state descriptively what the people who self-identify as such in practice act like" and here it is:

a framework of looking at the world as a fight against omnipresent oppression, mostly by white men of everyone else.

So, remind me again what are you complaining about?

Comment author: JoshuaZ 22 November 2014 02:11:41AM -2 points [-]

The objection is the phrasing of social justice as a " framework of looking at the world as a fight against omnipresent oppression, mostly by white men of everyone else." I'm in agreement that to a large extent that isn't an inaccurate descriptor for much of passes for SJ. The mind-killing problem is to use that as the definition.

Comment author: Lumifer 22 November 2014 02:47:03AM 3 points [-]

The mind-killing problem is to use that as the definition.

It's not a definition, it's an explanation in the context of someone asking "What does SJ mean?"