I think @slatestarcodex 's Adversarial Collaborations project (slatestarcodex.com/2018/09/26/adv…) is fascinating and deeply productive. @mpershan's participation is a bonus. THAT SAID, I'm not sure @slatestarcodex understands its actual value. 1/
Extrapolating from what he expressed disappointment about, he seems to have hoped (a) that people might significantly change their positions, and (b) that the products would be in any way definitive treatments of the topics. To me, neither of these was a reasonable hope. 2/
In fact (b) is risible. Just because two people disagree deeply doesn't mean that they define the space of possibility on the topic. Neither of the adversaries on the relation between "Islam" and "Liberal Democracy" appears to be Muslim, for ex. (I'm not saying they needed to 3/
be! I'm saying this illustrates the futility of hoping to encompass an entire issue within a disagreement between two individuals.) The contours of the debate get defined by the particular interests, concerns, points of view of the specific individuals. This is no more neutral 4/
or objective than a thoughtful writeup by a single individual. @slatestarcodex was surprised post facto to find himself concerned that adversarial collabs might give undue legitimacy to pseudoscience by deeming it worthy of a worthy adversary -- this is an artifact of the same 5/
point. We should not look to adversarial collabs to magically show us the whole truth.
No, the value is in the *development of democratic skills*.
We have forgotten as a culture, if we ever knew, how to listen carefully to people we disagree with. To bring passionately 6/
No, the value is in the *development of democratic skills*.
We have forgotten as a culture, if we ever knew, how to listen carefully to people we disagree with. To bring passionately 6/
differing ideas into legitimate contact.
This is what the entrants in the adversarial collaboration project have taken on, and they've made their efforts public!
Tbh, I find the framing question of the collab about "Islam and Liberal Democracy" offensive! But I'm still glad 7/
This is what the entrants in the adversarial collaboration project have taken on, and they've made their efforts public!
Tbh, I find the framing question of the collab about "Islam and Liberal Democracy" offensive! But I'm still glad 7/
they did it! I am prioritizing reclaiming the public square for productive contact between differing ideas over litigating the way the framing of that debate is offensive.
But to be clear, I think it wld be absurd to look to this format to produce anything definitive. 8/8
But to be clear, I think it wld be absurd to look to this format to produce anything definitive. 8/8
