Here's a sober, positive review of Nicholas Wade's A Troublesome Inheritance from the Toronto broadsheet:
MARGARET WENTE
What if race is more than a social construct?
The Globe and Mail
Published Saturday, May. 10 2014, 8:00 AM EDT
... Even so, you can be sure that quite a lot of people do not want to have this conversation, or even admit that it might be legitimate. They do not want to entertain the thought that genetics could be a reason why human societies differ. Sure, they believe in evolution – except when it comes to us.
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25 comments:
Even so, who, whom.
If Sailer or Derbyshire had written this book, no one would review it.
Good review but this is pure crap: "Western institutions are characterized by high levels of trust among strangers."
Nope, Western institutions are characterized by high levels of mistrust, which is what contract law and regulation are based upon.
What if race is more than a social construct?
As if skin melanin content, hair kinkiness attributes, nose & lip structure, eye shape, and about a bazillion other things, couldn't possibly be coded for in the genes...
It all just keeps occurring randomly, generation after generation after generation - yeah, that's the ticket!
That Margaret Wente must be close to retirement.
Nope, Western institutions are characterized by high levels of mistrust, which is what contract law and regulation are based upon.
Certainly, *Anglosphere* institutions are based on high trust. That's why you can have largely unwritten constitutions in the Westminster democracies - look through the Canadian Constitution Act and you'll find nary a reference to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, etc. The US is a partial exception, with its ultra-high political gamesmanship and litigiousness. That's the price you pay for a bloodless, Enlightenment constitution.
Have reservations about this particular reviewer.
To wit: she's an idiot.
Higher class of intellect required.
Contract law is a mark of a high trust society. Try getting a contract enforced in Equatorial Guinea or even Indonesia. The contacts are meaningless. By contrast mstly to varying degrees in the West non family members can conduct business.
Certainly, *Anglosphere* institutions are based on high trust.
Where can I find an Anglosphere "istitution"? Can you show one to me?
Putnam says multi-racialism has helped to lower American trust levels. Bowling Alone. (Search this site for Steve's discussions of it.)
Good review but this is pure crap: "Western institutions are characterized by high levels of trust among strangers."
You might want to read the book. I notice the index lists 17 pages relating to "trust", starting with the section on page 51, "The Hormone of Social Trust", that discusses oxytocin.
Have reservations about this particular reviewer.
To wit: she's an idiot.
Higher class of intellect required.
I think most of the points she mentions are made by Wade. She's extracting a sense of what he is saying. Is Wade an idiot? Do you have specific objections, or just an agenda?
Something pathetic about it, starting with the question/title. A queasy, questioning acknowledgement.
pure crap
Peppered with absurdities.
This whole 'race is a social construct' meme is absurd beyond words. Reminds me of the Dalrymple quote about political correctness -- massive societal denial of what's right in front of everyone's face 24/7. It's what you get with modern feudalism -- the state is the Lord, taxpayers the vassals. You're told by the state and its lackeys and enablers and enforcers how to think and act. Or else.
eah said...
"This whole 'race is a social construct' meme is absurd beyond words. Reminds me of the Dalrymple quote about political correctness -- massive societal denial of what's right in front of everyone's face 24/7. It's what you get with modern feudalism -- the state is the Lord, taxpayers the vassals. You're told by the state and its lackeys and enablers and enforcers how to think and act. Or else."
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I believe this is the Dalrymple quote you're referring to:
"Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is to co-operate with evil, and in some small way to become evil oneself. One's standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to."
"Nope, Western institutions are characterized by high levels of mistrust, which is what contract law and regulation are based upon"
It's all relative. And back in the old days deals were settled with a handshake and "my word is my bond". A less mobile society then, and that made social enforcement easier.
In places like Russia or Pakistan, contract law may not help you when judges can be bought, or when the other party takes out a different kind of contract. (but the hawala system survives and that's trust and reputation-based)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawala
"Certainly, *Anglosphere* institutions are based on high trust.
Where can I find an Anglosphere "istitution"? Can you show one to me?"
Hop into my time machine,troll.
Gilbert P
Trust can be built too, across races and cultures. The Silk Road trade would not have survived for as long as it did otherwise. It's not just about kin and race.
Steve,
"Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake! "
It's law, not trust, that makes the Anglosphere great.
Trust ain't got nothing to do with it.
Now, you might want to examine what makes Anglo man trust law so much, an abstraction, rather than the concreteness of blood, but that's a different subject.
Or, is it?
In the west, by and large, you've been able to trust the law and trust that most people will try to honor a contract.
"Western institutions are characterized by high levels of mistrust, which is what contract law and regulation are based upon."
Nope. The human default is zero trust except between close relatives hence no need for contract law.
It's all relative.
.
'Where can I find an Anglosphere "istitution"? Can you show one to me?!'
Not now. Read a history book.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
That Margaret Wente must be close to retirement.
Only the old can be truthfull, youth does not value truth.
Yes, just like there are 2 obscure low ranked billionaires out of 400 who are willing to risk stepping out of line a little, the odd provincial journalist will risk an uncommitted though objective review.
But the objective facts of the matter are obvious so that has never been the problem; do we really believe that people are going to say things are true just because they clearly are.
No, they will decide what to do based just on what will help them get on in life. No one would want their child working as a journalist to flush their career down the toilet by telling the truth about this kind of thing. And very few of those working in journalism (the most competitive profession around) would even consider it. So it's all a waste of time.
Nope, Western institutions are characterized by high levels of mistrust, which is what contract law and regulation are based upon.
But contract law and regulation only work because of a reasonable level of trust.
"Trust can be built too, across races and cultures. The Silk Road trade would not have survived for as long as it did otherwise. It's not just about kin and race."
Historically long distance trade relied on merchant families sending relatives to different cities along the trade routes creating a chain.
It's how mercantile minorities were formed.
I'm from Quebec so I'm unfortunately not terribly familiar with the english canadian pundit class but this particular lady has written about race in slightly nonPC ways before. Incidentaly, she's married to a Black man, a Jamaican I think.
I guess she has a "hood pass".
It's all relative. And back in the old days deals were settled with a handshake and "my word is my bond". A less mobile society then, and that made social enforcement easier.
And you couldn't make a deal with anyone you weren't bound to by blood, marriage, etc., or someone you didn't see everyday and had nowhere else to go (because if he left he'd find himself in a place where no one would make deals with him).
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