Links to Consider, 6/27

Discussion with Philip Wallach; N.S. Lyons on Intellectuals and Social Change; Eric Kaufmann on ideology in K-12; Rob Henderson on personality; Andrey Mir on social media's fast reaction time

Our discussion with Philip Wallach and his book Why Congress? is now on YouTube. He reminds us that the alternative to Congressional deliberation is the Executive Branch seeing a policy vacuum that the Administrative State can fill. Audio here:

N.S. Lyons writes,

We face an ever greater surplus of “knowledge elites,” who form a growing portion of our ever more postindustrial economy; therefore, ever more intra-class competition rages as these elites attempt to sell unique theoretical “products” in disruptive new ways. The result is a vastly elevated number of suppliers of social change. And that supply creates its own demand.

He suggests that activism to promote instability is effectively the business model of intellectuals. His hope?

A limit exists to how much change and instability most people can tolerate in a short span of time. At some point, they might just collectively stop buying it, and we can all enjoy the respite of a long-overdue change recession.

Eric Kaufmann writes,

We asked a random national sample of 18- to 20-year-olds whether they had heard (from an adult in school) of pro–Critical Race Theory (CRT) concepts such as “white privilege” or “systemic racism” as well as radical gender concepts such as the idea that gender is separate from biological sex. An astounding 90 percent had been exposed to CRT and 74 percent to radical gender concepts at school. In 7 of 10 cases these beliefs were presented as fact, or as the only respectable view to hold. 

For me, this hits an outrage erogenous zone. Kids are being indoctrinated! With the worst stuff! I can’t help linking to it.

Rob Henderson said,

Recently, the psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman and his colleagues have developed a psychological concept called the “Light Triad.” This is a constellation of three traits:

• Humanism: Appreciation for the successes and creations of others

• Kantianism: Tendency toward behaving with integrity and honesty rather than deceit and charm

• Faith in Humanity: Believing people are generally good and worthy of trust

“Faith in Humanity” seems to correspond to Assume Positive Motivation.

Henderson’s lecture is a tour of some of the literature on personality. I would like to see this literature evaluated for reliability. Are measures of traits reliable across time? Across measurement instrument? Do all personality psychiatrists make the same behavioral predictions concerning a given trait? etc.

Andrey Mir writes,

Writing is the highest form of this reaction delay: a literate culture may delay its response to events for days, months, or years, but the deliberation and cooperation that literacy engenders allowed humans as a species to thrive and transform the planet.

…Lacking the deliberative element that writing requires, social-media posts often feature nothing but gut, emotive reactions.

…digital speech has shifted the focus of mass communication from reflections to reflexes, from substance to attitude.

Later,

Social media increasingly serve not to facilitate the simple exchange of written information but to sort out everyone’s attitude toward the most pressing issues of the day. The wrong response to someone’s hard-fought truth is punished by reciprocal aggression and various forms of ostracism. … the Viral Inquisitor demands from everyone solidarity with the most widely held views of others. Politicization and polarization are embedded in the process.

…Social media override Dunbar’s number, burdening users with connections more numerous than what we can handle.

…The sins and thoughtcrimes of everyone get delivered precisely to those who can be alarmed and enraged.

And later,

Confirmation bias is implanted in the design: we trust what we “like.” This is why fake news victoriously marches across the Internet.

I should remind you that long ago I formed the habit of scheduling posts a few days in advance. This is my small way of pushing back against the imperatives of social media.

Substacks referenced above:

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Social Status: Differences in Desire and Attainment

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The Indoctrination of the American Mind