tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post2785599569878451405..comments2024-03-15T03:16:46.386-04:00Comments on Objectivist v. Constructivist v. Theist: Election #1: Barack ObamaThe Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-49139550697343337822008-02-27T23:55:00.000-05:002008-02-27T23:55:00.000-05:00i don't think you can infer anyone's intelligence ...i don't think you can infer anyone's intelligence merely by the school that they attend. there is no school that i know of in the states that has EVER admitted students on the basis of intelligence alone. being that so many students get accepted to schools due to economic status, athletic abilities, past life experiences, hard work that has achieved good grades, race, etc. it would be foolish to try to infer anything about someone's intelligence on the basis of the school that they attend. it seems to me that you are advocating racism, essentially saying 'we can infer that the black ones are dumb and the whites and asians are smart.' also, i found it somewhat interesting that you didn't note anything about mccain's intelligence in your latest blog. he graduated 894th out of 899 in his class at the US Naval Academy. is there a double standard? or do you only apply your standard for intelligence to black people?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-4681394705773739912008-02-27T10:37:00.000-05:002008-02-27T10:37:00.000-05:00Interesting that you never mention his opposition ...Interesting that you never mention his opposition to the invasion and occupation of Iraq....The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-3439215570843430932008-02-24T17:28:00.000-05:002008-02-24T17:28:00.000-05:00Dear Zenithbar:I like your point and don't think a...Dear Zenithbar:<BR/>I like your point and don't think anyone should wish to denigrate African-Americans, many of whom are bright and hard-working.<BR/><BR/>However, here is the issue.<BR/><BR/>1. Is Barack Obama so intelligent that he was admitted to Harvard Law against standard competition (white and Asian competitors)?<BR/><BR/>The fact is that affirmative action prevents us from having a confident answer to this. <BR/><BR/>Whether this denigrates anyone or not is beside the point. We are picking a President and these inferences matter to the extent that a President's intelligence matters. <BR/><BR/>A similar point is that we should not assume that whites admitted into Yale in the 1950's or earlier are very bright if they had conenctions.<BR/><BR/>Here is my question for you. Do you think that we can infer the intelligence of your average white or Asian student at Yale Law? <BR/><BR/>Thanks, <BR/>OThe Objectivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00416501145750028695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-9225545896786833042008-02-20T02:30:00.000-05:002008-02-20T02:30:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-67302903553171721342008-02-16T17:42:00.000-05:002008-02-16T17:42:00.000-05:00eg.) if you write an article about Hillary Clinton...eg.) if you write an article about Hillary Clinton, I should hope you question whether she got into Yale Law because she is a woman or because perhaps she has PMDD, both characteristics a school may potentially think add 'diversity' to the classroom, especially in the early 70's, even though affirmative action was still in its infancy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-79685929276619700712008-02-16T17:34:00.000-05:002008-02-16T17:34:00.000-05:00My point is, simply, that if you are going to be s...My point is, simply, that if you are going to be skeptical about african americans then you should be skeptical about all other races as well because it is also likely that whites and asians are admitted for reasons aside from academic ability. while it may be proportionally more probable that african americans are admitted for non-academic reasons, i doubt if obama were asian you would question his abilities even though it is reasonable to do so given affirmative action programs preferences for diversity that is non-race based as well as race-based. it seems that we should be skeptical about all students regardless of race, and to pinpoint african americans seems irresponsible, and frankly racist. on your reasoning even the most highly qualified african american should be subject to the question 'well i wonder if he just got in because he's black.' I understand you think this is a reasonable inquiry given the facts on the ground, but to pick out a minority group and denigrate them as a whole does not seem fair. after all they were not the ones who instituted the affirmative action programs. if you're going to take out your anger about affirmative action on anybody it should be the supreme court, but leave the african americans out of it, it's not their fault that the programs are in place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-48709793985147521302008-02-16T14:02:00.000-05:002008-02-16T14:02:00.000-05:00Dear Zenithmbr:Thank you for your note. I have two...Dear Zenithmbr:<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your note. I have two objections to it. <BR/><BR/>1. First, even if the credentials of some members of the Ivy League suggest they did not get in for their intelligence (e.g., football and basketball players at Duke), it simply does not follow that we should not be skeptical about the credentials of other groups who usually have to receive preferential treatment.<BR/><BR/>2. Second, the data is well-known and uncontroversial. If you look at the data in Grutter v. Bollinger and Hopwood v. Texas, there is in effect an admission by the schools that they are using different standards for admitting races. This has a predictable effect, black students have lower GPAs and fail the bar and medical boards more frequently than individuals let in under the usual standards. <BR/><BR/>3. None of this is to take a position on preferential treatment. It is just to say that when it comes to favored minorities, it makes no sense to put our heads in the sand and draw inferences about ability that are legitimate in the context of Asians and whites but not other groups. <BR/><BR/>In any case, thank you for your note.The Objectivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00416501145750028695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-3274017620702079862008-02-14T12:14:00.000-05:002008-02-14T12:14:00.000-05:00because schools take into account more factors tha...because schools take into account more factors than just race alone, it seems foolish to single out african americans when questioning whether they got in on academic merits alone. i should hope that when you see a white person or an asian who graduated from these top ivy league schools you similarly question: "well i wonder if they got in because they're smart or maybe they got in because they lost their penis in a horrible tractor accident at a young age." because admissions are dependent on more than race alone and other life factors can be taken into account, it seems hypocritical to only subject racial minorities to this line of questioning. i therefore assume you question all graduates from ivy league schools academic merits equally.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-24170739048125423702008-02-13T14:07:00.000-05:002008-02-13T14:07:00.000-05:00Note that no one has asked him about wedge issues,...Note that no one has asked him about wedge issues, specifically race preferences, gun control, and gay marriage. Once asked, things could get much uglier for him because he'll either have to give evasive answers, which will show him to be a professional politician, or he give an answer which will confirm that he is a hard-left candidate. <BR/><BR/>Why has no one asked him real questions?The Objectivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00416501145750028695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23061971.post-29196828772411767192008-02-13T14:05:00.000-05:002008-02-13T14:05:00.000-05:00One explanation that people might give of his popu...One explanation that people might give of his popularity is that the media have fallen all over themselves trying to portray him in a good light. For example, there is almost no mention of his name near things like inheritance tax, amnesty, and tax increase.<BR/><BR/>The same was largely true of Bill Richardson who failed to catch on. So I doubt that this is the correct explanation.The Objectivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00416501145750028695noreply@blogger.com