Quote of the Day: Science vs. Postmodernism

 

“The scientific method liberates us to pursue truth regardless of who we are. … There is no black mind or white mind. No white male way or knowing or indigenous way of knowing, there is only one truth and we find it through the scientific method.” – Dr. Gad Saad

“That’s white history.” – Said to me by an executive on my college’s paper.

Probably some context is needed. I was in a restaurant telling this lady that when Thomas Sowell did multivariable analysis, black-Americans didn’t get lower pay than white-Americans. What I meant was that when you included IQ, the kind of degree that black-Americans got from college and years worked, the pay gap between white and black Americans pretty much disappeared. I don’t know how well I made my point but I doubt that my presentation really mattered that much. The narrative was what mattered.

Since then I have always been interested in whenever leftists label this or that argument as being black or white. (There are very few Asian arguments for some reason.) It’s been my experience that it’s a rhetorical flourish to avoid countervailing opinions.

I chose this pic because light has represented Truth and reason in western art and the human eye discerns light the same no matter the race or sexual orientation or what have you.

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  1. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Thanks, Henry. There are some statements so silly that we are flabbergasted just to hear them. “That’s white history,” would be one of those for me.


    This is the Quote of the Day. We have four openings left this month if you would like to share a quotation to educate, honor another, celebrate yourself, brag about your new acquisition, or just so you can rant. Our sign-up sheet is here.

    Or, if you’re looking to write something a bit more creative, you might try our Group Writing Project this month: It was a dark and stormy night…

    • #1
  2. iWe Coolidge
    iWe
    @iWe

    Henry Castaigne: the human eye discerns light the same no matter the race or sexual orientation or what have you. 

    How do you know?

    Have you ever noticed how black people strongly prefer different car colors than do white people? Can you be sure they see color the same way?

    Indeed, we know that women see color differently than do men.

    • #2
  3. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    iWe (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne: the human eye discerns light the same no matter the race or sexual orientation or what have you.

    How do you know?

    Have you ever noticed how black people strongly prefer different car colors than do white people? Can you be sure they see color the same way?

    Indeed, we know that women see color differently than do men.

    Well the human eye does have three codons at least. The brain might very well interpret them differently but it is still pretty much the same organ. Mantis shrimp on the other hand have sixteen color codons on their eyes. How weird is that?

    • #3
  4. OmegaPaladin Moderator
    OmegaPaladin
    @OmegaPaladin

    iWe (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne: the human eye discerns light the same no matter the race or sexual orientation or what have you.

    How do you know?

    Have you ever noticed how black people strongly prefer different car colors than do white people? Can you be sure they see color the same way?

    Indeed, we know that women see color differently than do men.

    Henry’s words were quite precise.

    Discerning light is a simple matter of wavelengths that rod and cone cells are sensitive enough to activate. 

    Color is a matter of interpretation in the brain.  For example, purple as a color is mostly not associated with violet wavelengths of light.  Colors can appear different based on contrast effects, lighting, etc.

    • #4
  5. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Henry,

    Of course, the absurdity of the intersectional view of science is the worst joke of all. If the facts don’t matter you can’t do science period. You can claim to believe in it all you want but that becomes a meaningless statement if the facts don’t matter.

    I would also point out that the intersectional point of view is equally disastrous for Justice. The cornerstone of a Just decision is impartiality. The intersectional point of view literally throws impartiality into the dempster and anoints prejudicial pre-judgment as the solution to problems of injustice. This is complete nonsense. When Marxist governments that have preached exactly this magical ideology come to power soon everyone realizes that the last thing such a mindless totalitarian tyranny can accomplish is Justice.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #5
  6. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    James Gawron (View Comment): Of course, the absurdity of the intersectional view of science is the worst joke of all.

    Absurd? I would argue that the known fact that “white men can’t jump” is proof that some operate under a different gravitational constant here on earth than the rest of us. Seems Mother Nature is racist too.

    • #6
  7. Jim McConnell Member
    Jim McConnell
    @JimMcConnell

    Just slightly off topic, but this discussion brings to mind this: “No two persons ever read the same book.” -Edmund Wilson, critic.

    I think that, literally, everything we see and experience is colored by our own personal experiences.  Just as no two persons ever read the same book, no two persons ever view the same scene.

    • #7
  8. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Jim McConnell (View Comment):
    I think that, literally, everything we see and experience is colored by our own personal experiences. Just as no two persons ever read the same book, no two persons ever view the same scene.

    I agree. That doesn’t change the scientific method though. It does mean that we need to take extra care in our epistemology.

    • #8
  9. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    iWe (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne: the human eye discerns light the same no matter the race or sexual orientation or what have you.

    How do you know?

    Have you ever noticed how black people strongly prefer different car colors than do white people? Can you be sure they see color the same way?

    Indeed, we know that women see color differently than do men.

    I would guess it’s cultural, not biological.  Why are most new cars today white, black, silver, or grey?  Why was emerald green a really hot car color in the 1990’s and now pretty much unavailable?  Why were burnt orange and avocado green big colors for appliances in the 1970’s?  I don’t think people eyes have changed.  Some small number of people are bellwethers and the rest are followers.

    • #9
  10. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):
    Why were burnt orange and avocado green big colors for appliances in the 1970’s?

    This answer is easy.  The I remember dusky brown dishwashers, avocado green dishwashers and appliances, and the year of red appliances.  Industries get together each year and decide on the dominant color, I think, two years down the road.

    • #10
  11. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Two words: Harvest Gold.

    • #11
  12. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Jim McConnell (View Comment):
    I think that, literally, everything we see and experience is colored by our own personal experiences. Just as no two persons ever read the same book, no two persons ever view the same scene.

    I agree. That doesn’t change the scientific method though. It does mean that we need to take extra care in our epistemology.

    That sort of thing is what postmodernism at its best is all about. Jean-Luc Marion’s G-d Without Being. Jean-Francois Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition. Merold Westphal’s Overcoming Ontotheology.

    • #12
  13. iWe Coolidge
    iWe
    @iWe

    Randy Weivoda (View Comment):

    iWe (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne: the human eye discerns light the same no matter the race or sexual orientation or what have you.

    How do you know?

    Have you ever noticed how black people strongly prefer different car colors than do white people? Can you be sure they see color the same way?

    Indeed, we know that women see color differently than do men.

    I would guess it’s cultural, not biological. Why are most new cars today white, black, silver, or grey? Why was emerald green a really hot car color in the 1990’s and now pretty much unavailable? Why were burnt orange and avocado green big colors for appliances in the 1970’s? I don’t think people eyes have changed. Some small number of people are bellwethers and the rest are followers.

    You may be right. I disagree –  think that just as women prefer pink and are much more color-sensitive than men, so, too, certain races or cultures clearly have different reactions to colors than do others. That may be just interpretation. Or it might have a physiological link.

    Some cultures/races do not name colors.

    Remember the argument over the color of the dress?

    Either way, neither of us can be certain. We cannot isolate the eyeball from the brain.

    • #13
  14. Saint Augustine Member
    Saint Augustine
    @SaintAugustine

    iWe (View Comment):
    Remember the argument over the color of the dress?

    I hear “Yanny” when I look at the dress.

    • #14
  15. Gossamer Cat Coolidge
    Gossamer Cat
    @GossamerCat

    Saint Augustine (View Comment):

    iWe (View Comment):
    Remember the argument over the color of the dress?

    I hear “Yanny” when I look at the dress.

    Should win best comment of the week!

    • #15
  16. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    There is a nice interview of Gaad Sad about his book right here

    • #16
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