Fair and informed comment but not something any politician or judge or other institutional leader has the mettle to write: Indigenous “knowledge keepers” may have many insights into spirituality, philosophy, and their traditional environments, but the fact is that Indigenous people, at first contact with Europeans, were an illiterate stone-age culture. They had not discovered the scientific method, which was the thing that allowed Europeans to rapidly advance their technology over the past few centuries.
Sure--and this is where Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" comes in handy! It is clear Diamond in his thorough research on the development of human civilizations has the subtle purpose of dispelling all those nasty "Eurocentric" myths of racial superiority--in other words, he is being socially progressive--but it has come around that his arguments are now an asset against the new-racist progressive idea that Europeans are racially deficient (i.e., by developing a controlling and suppressive civilization). Diamond's research makes the implicit argument that if Indigenous peoples did not develop civilization ONLY because the key geographical conditions were not present, then it also stand to reason that IF those conditions were present, then Indigenous people would have developed civilizations MUCH LIKE Europeans did, warts and all.
Great article--informative and with some solid rebuttals of some of the "progressive" ideas piggybacking onto Critical Theory (which really is just an attitude--or "ideology"--that has lent very well to brat academics and activists who see the West/White people/Capitalism as a big oppressive parent). Also glad to see the reference to Jared Diamond--his Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs and Steel needs to be invoked more often as a clear, morality-free evaluation of the development of human civilization.
Fair and informed comment but not something any politician or judge or other institutional leader has the mettle to write: Indigenous “knowledge keepers” may have many insights into spirituality, philosophy, and their traditional environments, but the fact is that Indigenous people, at first contact with Europeans, were an illiterate stone-age culture. They had not discovered the scientific method, which was the thing that allowed Europeans to rapidly advance their technology over the past few centuries.
Sure--and this is where Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" comes in handy! It is clear Diamond in his thorough research on the development of human civilizations has the subtle purpose of dispelling all those nasty "Eurocentric" myths of racial superiority--in other words, he is being socially progressive--but it has come around that his arguments are now an asset against the new-racist progressive idea that Europeans are racially deficient (i.e., by developing a controlling and suppressive civilization). Diamond's research makes the implicit argument that if Indigenous peoples did not develop civilization ONLY because the key geographical conditions were not present, then it also stand to reason that IF those conditions were present, then Indigenous people would have developed civilizations MUCH LIKE Europeans did, warts and all.
Great article--informative and with some solid rebuttals of some of the "progressive" ideas piggybacking onto Critical Theory (which really is just an attitude--or "ideology"--that has lent very well to brat academics and activists who see the West/White people/Capitalism as a big oppressive parent). Also glad to see the reference to Jared Diamond--his Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs and Steel needs to be invoked more often as a clear, morality-free evaluation of the development of human civilization.
“Nations have come under the control of haters and fools.” ~ Archie Bunker
Just another case of lunatics running the asylum.
Attacks on science and the scientific method are particularly dangerous.
Ontario public schools and boards are a huge mess.