One of my favorite questions to some unthinking paleface who decides to introduce the word "antiSemitism" into a discussion with me.
Can there be antiSemites without Semitism any more than there can be anti-communists without communism? That's a real stumper, one that the uncritical judeophile has trouble wrapping his mind around. So I define Semitism for him: Jewish supremacy, or, if he prefers, Judeofascists. If the one you are debating hasn't left the field by then, ask him to please try and explain away a few other glaring inconsistencies about his "antiSemite" buzz term -- and there are many, which should be on the tip of your tongue.
There is no reason our side should EVER lose a substantive debate with either a Xian herd animal or a Jew. Thus the Jewish maxim:
Never forgive, never forget, and NEVER debate the goyim!
So, in that context, digest the following statement from Dr. Wilson's article (below): "Nazis were antisemitic because of what Jews did to them," and put a Creator's spin on it for intellectual exercise.
PS. It would help if one will first read the works of Drs. Wilson (DS and EO, especially) and MacDonald in order to speak on a subject like evolutionary group theory from an informed point of view.
---
David Sloan Wilson Comments
http://www.csulb.edu/~kmacd/slate-wilson.html
The Debates
Two Comments by David Sloan Wilson
Selfish Groups and Adaptive Fictions: Two Themes Addressed by Kevin
MacDonald Worth Defending
This is David Sloan Wilson, the "leading advocate of group selection
theory" mentioned in Shulevitz's article on Kevin MacDonald. The
reason I did not return her phone call (she only made one) is that I
was out of the country. I think that Kevin is being unfairly
criticized. In fact, it is shameful how quickly those who are
sensitive to being demonized are willing to demonize others. Even
evolutionary psychologists, who have experienced their share of
persecution in academic circles, seem more concerned to protect
their own reputations than to defend the work of their colleague.
I have read Kevin's first book and will shortly read the other two.
When I do, I won't be shy about commenting on them. I have also had
numerous discussions with Kevin about his work. The reason I do not
regard Kevin's work as anti-Semitic is because he is developing a
general theory of human social groups, of which Judaism is an
example. The theory includes two major themes that are well worth
defending. The first is the theme of groups as corporate units that
care about their own welfare much more than the welfare of
outsiders. This theme has a long history in all branches of the
social sciences. From psychology we know how easily individuals make
Us vs. Them distinctions. From anthropology we know how many
traditional societies draw a moral circle around themselves and
regard outsiders as literally nonhuman. Evolutionary views on groups
as corporate units are complicated. Group selection, the process
that would explain the evolution of adaptive groups at face value,
was largely rejected in the 1960's. I think that the rejection was
unwarranted and that group selection has been a strong force in
human evolution (see E. Sober and D.S. Wilson, Unto Others: The
Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior. Harvard University
Press 1998). However, even evolutionary biologists who remain
skeptical about group selection, such as Richard Alexander, John
Hartung, and John Tooby, manage to think about groups as corporate
units in more individualistic terms. Thus, there is much more
agreement about the concept of selfish human groups than about group
selection.
The second theme concerns the adaptive value of human belief
systems. A naïve brand of evolutionary epistemology claims that it
is always adaptive to perceive the world the way the world really
is. If so, then evolution would become a simple substitute for God
as the agent that endows our species with the ability to know.
Unfortunately, there are countless ways that even outrageously false
beliefs can produce behaviors that are adaptive in the real world,
which is the only criterion of success as far as evolution is
concerned. Thus, a sophisticated evolutionary epistemology must deal
with the problem of adaptive fictions, which makes knowing an
unnatural act or natural only in certain contexts.
I interpret Kevin's work as using Judaism as an exceptionally
well-documented culture for which these two themes can be examined
(along with a number of secondary themes). In my work I use other
groups to study the same themes, including Christian faiths such as
Anabaptism and Calvinism (No one has yet accused me of being
anti-Anabaptist or anti-Calvinist). Sports teams, business
corporations, and political movements provide other fine examples of
selfish groups and adaptive fictions.
Shortly after I finished Kevin's first book I happened to read The
Slave, a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, and I was impressed by the
correspondence between the two books. The Slave is about a devout
young Jewish man who, during a period as a slave, falls in love with
and marries a gentile woman. When he is freed and returns to his
Jewish community, the only way he can bring his wife with him is for
her to pretend that she is deaf and dumb.
This love story takes place against the background of a Jewish
community that springs up on the estate of an inept Polish nobleman
who has hired Jews to manage his affairs. In no time, the Jewish
community is churning out goods at unbeatable prices, even Catholic
artifacts which strictly speaking is against the law. At the same
time, there is always the threat of violence from the resentful
Poles. The main difference between Singer's wonderful novel and
Kevin's scholarly book is that Singer portrays the Jewish community
as less cooperative than does MacDonald. According to Singer, Jewish
communities, like other communities, have their share of individuals
who are dedicated to feathering their own nests, even at the expense
of their group.
I would like those who regard Kevin's work as anti-Semitic to read
The Slave and tell me how the two books differ from each other in
their essential messages (alternatively, they can explain to me why
Singer is anti-Semitic). Until then, I will continue to regard Kevin
as a valued colleague who is addressing fundamental questions about
human groups from an evolutionary perspective. There is a great need
to understand both the bright side and the dark side of our groupish
nature, to expand our moral circles as widely as possible and to
suppress the Us vs. Them mentality that is so easily triggered in
our species.
__________________________________________________________
David Wilson's Second Fray Comment
It is frustrating for me to read so much nonsense on the subject of
group selection, especially in a dialogue on fringe science. It is
also instructive that the graduate student who informed Judith of
group selection's respectability asked to remain anonymous. I can
clear the air on the subject of group selection but it will require
a bit more than a Fray posting. I hope that the editors of Slate
will provide me the opportunity.
The purpose of this post is to comment on the MacDonald quote that
ended Judith's article. She found it antisemitic but I see symmetry.
To rephrase the passage in abstract terms: Group A is threatened by
group B and exaggerates the threat to its own members. Group B is
threatened by group A and exaggerates the threat to its own members.
As long as we stick to a general theory of what I called selfish
groups and adaptive fictions in my earlier post, we are on safe and
very important scientific ground.
Judith's rendering of the passage was "those scheming Jews, the
evolutionary justification for anti-Semitism." Consider the
following two statements:
1) Individual A is justified in destroying individual B because
individual B behaved selfishly toward individual A.
2) Group A is justified in destroying group B because group B
behaved selfishly toward group A.
The first statement is not morally acceptable at the level of
individual interactions and the second statement is no more
acceptable at the level of group interactions. Furthermore, truly
selfish individuals/groups don't require justification to prey on
other individuals/groups, any more than a lion requires
justification to prey on gazelles. If Nazi Germany acted as a
selfish group, the most exemplary behavior in the world would not
have protected the Jews. I would therefore challenge a statement of
the form "Nazis were antisemitic because of what Jews did to them."
If only groups were so morally principled!
This brings us to the general concept of morality: What unites
individuals or groups into a single moral community that rewards
good conduct and punishes selfishness? Hint: multilevel selection
has something to do with it.
David Sloan Wilson
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Binghamton University
Binghamton, New York 13902-6000
tel: 607-777-4393 fax: 607-777-6521
email: dwilson@binghamton.edu
Can there be antiSemites without Semitism any more than there can be anti-communists without communism? That's a real stumper, one that the uncritical judeophile has trouble wrapping his mind around. So I define Semitism for him: Jewish supremacy, or, if he prefers, Judeofascists. If the one you are debating hasn't left the field by then, ask him to please try and explain away a few other glaring inconsistencies about his "antiSemite" buzz term -- and there are many, which should be on the tip of your tongue.
There is no reason our side should EVER lose a substantive debate with either a Xian herd animal or a Jew. Thus the Jewish maxim:
Never forgive, never forget, and NEVER debate the goyim!
So, in that context, digest the following statement from Dr. Wilson's article (below): "Nazis were antisemitic because of what Jews did to them," and put a Creator's spin on it for intellectual exercise.
PS. It would help if one will first read the works of Drs. Wilson (DS and EO, especially) and MacDonald in order to speak on a subject like evolutionary group theory from an informed point of view.
---
David Sloan Wilson Comments
http://www.csulb.edu/~kmacd/slate-wilson.html
The Debates
Two Comments by David Sloan Wilson
Selfish Groups and Adaptive Fictions: Two Themes Addressed by Kevin
MacDonald Worth Defending
This is David Sloan Wilson, the "leading advocate of group selection
theory" mentioned in Shulevitz's article on Kevin MacDonald. The
reason I did not return her phone call (she only made one) is that I
was out of the country. I think that Kevin is being unfairly
criticized. In fact, it is shameful how quickly those who are
sensitive to being demonized are willing to demonize others. Even
evolutionary psychologists, who have experienced their share of
persecution in academic circles, seem more concerned to protect
their own reputations than to defend the work of their colleague.
I have read Kevin's first book and will shortly read the other two.
When I do, I won't be shy about commenting on them. I have also had
numerous discussions with Kevin about his work. The reason I do not
regard Kevin's work as anti-Semitic is because he is developing a
general theory of human social groups, of which Judaism is an
example. The theory includes two major themes that are well worth
defending. The first is the theme of groups as corporate units that
care about their own welfare much more than the welfare of
outsiders. This theme has a long history in all branches of the
social sciences. From psychology we know how easily individuals make
Us vs. Them distinctions. From anthropology we know how many
traditional societies draw a moral circle around themselves and
regard outsiders as literally nonhuman. Evolutionary views on groups
as corporate units are complicated. Group selection, the process
that would explain the evolution of adaptive groups at face value,
was largely rejected in the 1960's. I think that the rejection was
unwarranted and that group selection has been a strong force in
human evolution (see E. Sober and D.S. Wilson, Unto Others: The
Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior. Harvard University
Press 1998). However, even evolutionary biologists who remain
skeptical about group selection, such as Richard Alexander, John
Hartung, and John Tooby, manage to think about groups as corporate
units in more individualistic terms. Thus, there is much more
agreement about the concept of selfish human groups than about group
selection.
The second theme concerns the adaptive value of human belief
systems. A naïve brand of evolutionary epistemology claims that it
is always adaptive to perceive the world the way the world really
is. If so, then evolution would become a simple substitute for God
as the agent that endows our species with the ability to know.
Unfortunately, there are countless ways that even outrageously false
beliefs can produce behaviors that are adaptive in the real world,
which is the only criterion of success as far as evolution is
concerned. Thus, a sophisticated evolutionary epistemology must deal
with the problem of adaptive fictions, which makes knowing an
unnatural act or natural only in certain contexts.
I interpret Kevin's work as using Judaism as an exceptionally
well-documented culture for which these two themes can be examined
(along with a number of secondary themes). In my work I use other
groups to study the same themes, including Christian faiths such as
Anabaptism and Calvinism (No one has yet accused me of being
anti-Anabaptist or anti-Calvinist). Sports teams, business
corporations, and political movements provide other fine examples of
selfish groups and adaptive fictions.
Shortly after I finished Kevin's first book I happened to read The
Slave, a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer, and I was impressed by the
correspondence between the two books. The Slave is about a devout
young Jewish man who, during a period as a slave, falls in love with
and marries a gentile woman. When he is freed and returns to his
Jewish community, the only way he can bring his wife with him is for
her to pretend that she is deaf and dumb.
This love story takes place against the background of a Jewish
community that springs up on the estate of an inept Polish nobleman
who has hired Jews to manage his affairs. In no time, the Jewish
community is churning out goods at unbeatable prices, even Catholic
artifacts which strictly speaking is against the law. At the same
time, there is always the threat of violence from the resentful
Poles. The main difference between Singer's wonderful novel and
Kevin's scholarly book is that Singer portrays the Jewish community
as less cooperative than does MacDonald. According to Singer, Jewish
communities, like other communities, have their share of individuals
who are dedicated to feathering their own nests, even at the expense
of their group.
I would like those who regard Kevin's work as anti-Semitic to read
The Slave and tell me how the two books differ from each other in
their essential messages (alternatively, they can explain to me why
Singer is anti-Semitic). Until then, I will continue to regard Kevin
as a valued colleague who is addressing fundamental questions about
human groups from an evolutionary perspective. There is a great need
to understand both the bright side and the dark side of our groupish
nature, to expand our moral circles as widely as possible and to
suppress the Us vs. Them mentality that is so easily triggered in
our species.
__________________________________________________________
David Wilson's Second Fray Comment
It is frustrating for me to read so much nonsense on the subject of
group selection, especially in a dialogue on fringe science. It is
also instructive that the graduate student who informed Judith of
group selection's respectability asked to remain anonymous. I can
clear the air on the subject of group selection but it will require
a bit more than a Fray posting. I hope that the editors of Slate
will provide me the opportunity.
The purpose of this post is to comment on the MacDonald quote that
ended Judith's article. She found it antisemitic but I see symmetry.
To rephrase the passage in abstract terms: Group A is threatened by
group B and exaggerates the threat to its own members. Group B is
threatened by group A and exaggerates the threat to its own members.
As long as we stick to a general theory of what I called selfish
groups and adaptive fictions in my earlier post, we are on safe and
very important scientific ground.
Judith's rendering of the passage was "those scheming Jews, the
evolutionary justification for anti-Semitism." Consider the
following two statements:
1) Individual A is justified in destroying individual B because
individual B behaved selfishly toward individual A.
2) Group A is justified in destroying group B because group B
behaved selfishly toward group A.
The first statement is not morally acceptable at the level of
individual interactions and the second statement is no more
acceptable at the level of group interactions. Furthermore, truly
selfish individuals/groups don't require justification to prey on
other individuals/groups, any more than a lion requires
justification to prey on gazelles. If Nazi Germany acted as a
selfish group, the most exemplary behavior in the world would not
have protected the Jews. I would therefore challenge a statement of
the form "Nazis were antisemitic because of what Jews did to them."
If only groups were so morally principled!
This brings us to the general concept of morality: What unites
individuals or groups into a single moral community that rewards
good conduct and punishes selfishness? Hint: multilevel selection
has something to do with it.
David Sloan Wilson
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Binghamton University
Binghamton, New York 13902-6000
tel: 607-777-4393 fax: 607-777-6521
email: dwilson@binghamton.edu