Of Criticism and Judgment

[tcpip]

airiefairie has written an excellent post at The Isocracy Network on the perceived need of political pundits (of which I must admit adding a few elaborations and footnotes). Apart from the direct issue of personal involvement in civics, it also raises the question of the core faculties of the thinking process. By this I mean not the passive absorption of information, nor the ability to regurgitate such perceptions, but the conscious ability to criticise and judge, which should be available to any with an adult mind.

Such reflective thinking often seems missing in the minds of many adults and this causes me some concern. For without it a person simply isn't capable of expressing any rational judgment except over the own sensations, and even then not necessarily to their own good, as they are incapable of reflecting in their own tastes; I suspect such people are particularly prone to unconscious drug and alcohol abuse.

More serious pathological behaviour occurs however when moral decisions are made without criticism, and judgment, the former defined as faculty to engage in reflection and the latter to express it. With the example of Adolf Eichmann, confirmed by the famous Milgram psychology experiments and followed up by the Stanford Prison experiments, individuals who don't not engage in criticism and reflection are prone to follow what is socially expected of them - even if it means sending tens of thousands to concentration and extermination camps (Eichmann), or electrocuting people (Milgram experiments), or engaging in a physically abusive misuse of power (Stanford). Even if they claim "oh, I would never do that", the reality is most people would and do. They will follow an authoritative figure representing their church, nation, or state, or ideology to the point of engaging in the worst abuses of human rights and especially is it is socially sanctioned to do so.

Immanual Kant (whom I may not care for his metaphysics, but I often like his rationality - and no, the latter does not require the former) has two great contributions to this matter. One is the third in the philosophical trilogy, Critique of Judgment. But perhaps more important is the pithy essay 'What Is Enlightenment'. In it he quite correctly describes enlightenment as the moment when one overcomes their own mental immaturity; when they have faith in the own ability to learn through criticism and accept the criticism of others. When they no longer fear the social sanction from who become upset from 'uncomfortable comments' (which, of course, Socrates specialised in).


Now before passing my own judgment on such people, there are exceptions and caveats to be stated. Some people are simply not capable of engaging in criticism; as noted above those who have a cognitive deficiency that means they effectively do not and cannot have an adult mind. Others, capable of criticism, may have genuine fears for their physical security if they pass judgment (e.g., under a totalitarian government) - but only in such cases is a temporary silence justified. In all other cases, we should state, honestly and forthrightly, what is true and false as we perceive it (and admit our own possibility of error), to espouse what we consider right and wrong (and test these claims to universality), and even to sincerely express our tastes (acknowledging that the tastes of others will vary).


Those who do not engage in criticism are idiots; those who do not engage in judgment are cowards.

Comments

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

OK, I've signed up - which thread is the discussion in?

[telarus.livejournal.com]

http://www.principiadiscordia.com/forum/index.php?topic=20308.0

Ok, just so you can get acquainted with the PDcom egregore:

.The thread is in "Apple Talk"(as in Golden), which is where most of the drama/chatting/hanging-out happens, so don't expect a focused thread there.

.The mods don't ban people, they rely on the hive-mind's immune system (yes, we flame and troll each other nearly constantly.... oddly enough we actually get stuff done while it's happening).

.The first page of the Moral reletivism thread is mostly snide comments about various thing, forum in-jokes, and general lulz ("This thread is mired in Cartesian Dualism" was a line that someone who tried to troll us used quite often which turned it into an in-joke). It gets interesting by page 3.

.That happens mostly in Apple Talk and Or Kill Me, usually to test if the OP is serious about the thread or just messing around.

.Enjoy the Chaos.