slatestarscratchpad:

slatestarscratchpad:

I’ve only read a little.

He’s obviously an excellent writer.

He has a rare gift for saying interesting things about race that I hadn’t heard before, which is of course rare in such a saturated subject. This includes giving good history lessons about the things other history lesson givers don’t talk about, which is a rare skill.

On the other hand, he’s not a social scientist, and it kind of shows. I argue against some of his case for reparations here: http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/05/26/compound-interest-is-the-least-powerful-force-in-the-universe/

Sorry, still not seeing it.

Suppose that I am a racist widget salesman, and I have a stereotype that black people are ignorant and gullible. I go door to door, asking black people for $500 for my widgets but asking white people only $10 for my widgets.

If black people consistently agree to pay me $500 for my widgets, why the heck am I not raising the price I ask of white people? On the other hand, if they don’t agree to pay, why am I not lowering the price I ask of them?

Because you are a human being, which means that every single decision you ever make is aimed at preserving your self-image and only extends to ensuring your success so far as “I am a person who is successful” is part of your self-image?

If the correctness of your beliefs is part of your self-image, you will ignore opportunities to benefit yourself that would prove your beliefs wrong.