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guillaumeb
guillaumeb's Journal
guillaumeb's Journal
January 1, 2019
To read more:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-30/urgent-uninvited-guests-keep-watch-for-china-inside-uighur-homes
Shades of Big Brother.In this particular case of totalitarian oppression, the leaders of the totalitarian Chinese Government are atheists.
When I read various posts that try to explain that religion is the prime reason for war, or violence, or repression, or oppression, or any of a list of things, my reaction is to notice that all of thse things are done by totalitarians. Most of these totalitarians are theists, but that is because theists represent the majority of humans.
But when totalitarian non-theists are in charge, the exact same negative behaviors are present.
China Sends 1.1 Million Party Members to Share Uighurs' Homes
From the article:
The two women in the photograph were smiling, but Halmurat Idris knew something was terribly wrong.
One was his 39-year-old sister; standing at her side was an elderly woman Idris did not know. Their grins were tight-lipped, mirthless. Her sister had posted the picture on a social media account along with a caption punctuated by a smiley-face.
"Look, I have a Han Chinese mother now!" his sister wrote.
Idris knew instantly: The old woman was a spy, sent by the Chinese government to infiltrate his family.
There are many like her. According to the ruling Communist Party's official newspaper, as of the end of September, 1.1 million local government workers have been deployed to ethnic minorities' living rooms, dining areas and Muslim prayer spaces, not to mention at weddings, funerals and other occasions once considered intimate and private.
One was his 39-year-old sister; standing at her side was an elderly woman Idris did not know. Their grins were tight-lipped, mirthless. Her sister had posted the picture on a social media account along with a caption punctuated by a smiley-face.
"Look, I have a Han Chinese mother now!" his sister wrote.
Idris knew instantly: The old woman was a spy, sent by the Chinese government to infiltrate his family.
There are many like her. According to the ruling Communist Party's official newspaper, as of the end of September, 1.1 million local government workers have been deployed to ethnic minorities' living rooms, dining areas and Muslim prayer spaces, not to mention at weddings, funerals and other occasions once considered intimate and private.
To read more:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-30/urgent-uninvited-guests-keep-watch-for-china-inside-uighur-homes
Shades of Big Brother.In this particular case of totalitarian oppression, the leaders of the totalitarian Chinese Government are atheists.
When I read various posts that try to explain that religion is the prime reason for war, or violence, or repression, or oppression, or any of a list of things, my reaction is to notice that all of thse things are done by totalitarians. Most of these totalitarians are theists, but that is because theists represent the majority of humans.
But when totalitarian non-theists are in charge, the exact same negative behaviors are present.
January 1, 2019
To read more of a very interesting article:
https://www.wired.com/story/sam-harris-and-the-myth-of-perfectly-rational-thought/
Sam Harris and the Myth of Perfectly Rational Thought
From the article:
Sam Harris, one of the original members of the group dubbed the New Atheists (by Wired!) 12 years ago, says he doesnt like tribalism. During his recent, much-discussed debate with Vox founder Ezra Klein about race and IQ, Harris declared that tribalism is a problem we must outgrow.
But apparently Harris doesnt think he is part of that we. After he accused Klein of fomenting a really indissoluble kind of tribalism in the form of identity politics, and Klein replied that Harris exhibits his own form of tribalism, Harris said coolly, I know Im not thinking tribally in this respect....
We all need role models, and Im not opposed in principle to Harriss being mine. But I think his view of himself as someone who can transcend tribalismand can know for sure that hes transcending itmay reflect a crude conception of what tribalism is. The psychology of tribalism doesnt consist just of rage and contempt and comparably conspicuous things. If it did, then many of humankinds messesincluding the mess American politics is in right nowwould be easier to clean up....
Examples of Harriss tribal psychology date back to the book that put him on the map: The End of Faith. The book exuded his conviction that the reason 9/11 happenedand the reason for terrorism committed by Muslims in generalwas simple: the religious beliefs of Muslims. As he has put it: We are not at war with terrorism. We are at war with Islam.
Believing that the root of terrorism is religion requires ruling out other root causes, so Harris set about doing that.
Or, to put Harriss fallacy in a form that he would definitely recognize: Religion cant be a cause of terrorism, because the world is full of religious people who arent terrorists.
But apparently Harris doesnt think he is part of that we. After he accused Klein of fomenting a really indissoluble kind of tribalism in the form of identity politics, and Klein replied that Harris exhibits his own form of tribalism, Harris said coolly, I know Im not thinking tribally in this respect....
We all need role models, and Im not opposed in principle to Harriss being mine. But I think his view of himself as someone who can transcend tribalismand can know for sure that hes transcending itmay reflect a crude conception of what tribalism is. The psychology of tribalism doesnt consist just of rage and contempt and comparably conspicuous things. If it did, then many of humankinds messesincluding the mess American politics is in right nowwould be easier to clean up....
Examples of Harriss tribal psychology date back to the book that put him on the map: The End of Faith. The book exuded his conviction that the reason 9/11 happenedand the reason for terrorism committed by Muslims in generalwas simple: the religious beliefs of Muslims. As he has put it: We are not at war with terrorism. We are at war with Islam.
Believing that the root of terrorism is religion requires ruling out other root causes, so Harris set about doing that.
Or, to put Harriss fallacy in a form that he would definitely recognize: Religion cant be a cause of terrorism, because the world is full of religious people who arent terrorists.
To read more of a very interesting article:
https://www.wired.com/story/sam-harris-and-the-myth-of-perfectly-rational-thought/
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Member since: Mon Jan 26, 2015, 06:15 PMNumber of posts: 42,641