Friday, March 23, 2018

Notable discourse: “Indulging victimhood”



     Part of a series: tapping into notable discourse, i.e., contemporary issues in academia, etc. (See Catching up with the Lindsay Shepherd (academic freedom) case [DtB, 3-2-18])
     This particular issue (or set of issues, viz., "political correctness," free speech, post-modernism in higher education, skepticism and realism, etc.) is complicated and difficult. Some of us find ourselves defending views associated with creeps and defending creeps associated with views that are "incorrect" but, well, correct. (The phenomenon is illustrated by this GOP-sponsored panel, three of whom seem to be political progressives. [Hoff Sommers is a moderate Democrat who is associated with—and associates with—conservatives.])
     Whatever. Here's a recent discussion sponsored by the Portland State "College Republicans." Ew.
     Have at it.

● Peter Boghossian: Atheist philosopher, Portland State
     Peter Gregory Boghossian is an American philosopher and atheism advocate. He is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Portland State University. His primary research areas are critical thinking, philosophy of education, and moral reasoning. Boghossian is a speaker for the Center for Inquiry, the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, and the Secular Student Alliance. He has been nominated as a member of the Global Secular Council. (Wikipedia)

● Bret Weinstein: evolutionary biologist, Evergreen State U [Recently resigned.]
     The Controversy of Bret Weinstein Explained — The Evergreen Scandal (Medium)
     Bret Weinstein is an evolutionary biologist that made national headlines for being a racist. So… what exactly happened? Was it simply being politically incorrect? (From Medium article.)

● Heather Heying, Biologist, Evergreen State College [Recently resigned.]
     Heather Heying is a Member of the Faculty at Evergreen, whose scientific, creative, and teaching interests converge in an evolutionary toolkit that is both powerful and fun to use. Selection provides the explanatory world view for all emergent phenomena that are directly observable, and most that are not. This truth permeates pretty much everything that I think about. (Evergreen State College)

● Christina Hoff Sommers: American Enterprise Institute (Philosopher)
     ...Sommers (Who Stole Feminism?) pulls no punches in this critique of the current crop of "crisis" studies about boys. Methodically analyzing and dismantling what she calls the "myth of shortchanged girls" as well as the "new and equally corrosive fiction that boys as a group are disturbed"Atheories she calls "speculative psychology"Ashe bolsters her findings with extensive footnotes and data from such sources as the U.S. Department of Education. Sommers's conclusions are compelling and deserve an unbiased hearing, particularly since they are at odds with conventional wisdom that paints girls as victimized and boys as emotionally repressed. "Routinely regarded as protosexists, potential harassers and perpetuators of gender inequity, boys live under a cloud of censure," she writes, going on to show how they are also falling behind academically in an educational system that currently devotes more attention to the needs of girls. Pointing out that "Mother Nature is not a feminist," she also dismisses the current vogue to "feminize" boys, calling social androgyny a "well-intentioned but ill-conceived reform." Instead, Sommers champions "the reality that boys and girls are different, that each sex has its distinctive strengths and graces." Sure to kick up dust in the highly charged gender debates, Sommers's book is at its best when coolly debunking theories she contends are based on distorted research and skewed data, but descends into pettiness when she indulges in mudslinging at her opponents. Perhaps the most informed study yet in this area, this engrossing book sheds light on a controversial subject. It deserves close reading by parents, educators and anyone interested in raising healthy, successful children of both sexes. (Review of The War On Boys, Publishers Weekly)


The students devolve to an angry, unreasonable mob

RECEIVED VIEW'S COLLISION WITH REALITY & REASON


MUSIC!


Dig me out
Dig me in
Out of this mess
Baby, out of my head
Dig me out
Dig me in
Out of my body
Out of my skin

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...