I often see what I believe to be the miracle of the United States framed as its original sin. This original sin is centered around something like “a nation founded on the principle of equality enslaved people.” And while it is absolutely true that the idea was written down prior to it being a social reality, identifying that as a sin is antithetical to the manner in which the concept of common humanity has been invented (not discovered) and then spread into the milieu of our cultural expectations throughout world history.
How did a tiny tribe of desert nomads become so important to history?
Of all the tribes of people, why is it that a group of pastoral tribal nomads, who were minorities then and minorities now, seem to have such an enduring presence in our world? Because ideas and the details matter. Their ideas have stood the test of time and ended up shaping many assumptions we take today to be self-evident in Western civilization.
Throughout history, as far back as our hunter gatherer ancestors, humans thought in the form of symbols. And what they saw in their dreams and imaginations, just as we do today, were symbols for things that contained emotional…
Mapping Out Our Journey Toward Universal Human Equality
This is the first part of a series where I explore different aspects, events, and ingredients necessary for the concept of universal human equality. Not being the normal expectation throughout the majority of human history, I wanted to understand where the concept came from and how it has come to be “self-evident.” …
Impact vs. Intent.
No, not technically. But that’s the wrong question. What we should be asking is if its ideas are solid, coherent, and what are the fruits of its applications? Racism is the idea that someone’s race is superior to another race. Even though there is “color-consciousness” in critical race theory, it does not explicitly hold any race to be superior. But the structure of a critical theory requires this type of question because of something that makes critical theories unique in academia. They do not simply seek out knowledge or truth. They also tell us what to do with their perceived…
Understanding why two seemingly opposite ideas ended up saying the same things.
It has now become satirical how woke statements parallel what racists are stating. But it makes sense for people who share the same basic world view to speak using the same language and framework. The shared language and conclusions are but mere symptoms of a much deeper illness: a world view based on power struggles between groups of people divided primarily by race. While one group wants their own race to be on top, the other believes that it is time for other groups to “take their turn.” However, both are wrong. …
We Cried Wolf, and the Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost
Telling the truth can be tricky. We’re often in a situation where we cannot see the immediate or practical advantages of doing so. And I’m not talking about telling the truth when a murderer knocks on your door and asks if your daughter is home. We are under no obligation to be truthful under physically coercive circumstances. I’m referring to the type of truth we expect from our institutions.
We often worry about what people will do with that truth so we tell them what we think they need to know in order for them to do what we think…
An Incredibly Personal Story of Racial Reckoning
For someone like myself who has been reading about and listening to discussions concerning race in America for at least twenty years, it’s rare now that I come across something different. This was one of those times.
Black Victim to Black Victor is a unique look at issues many have discussed before, but from the perspective of someone who lived those experiences day to day. Without the usual academic explanations of statistics and previous attempts to explain differences in cultural or socioeconomic outcomes, Adam B. Coleman puts his arm around the people he has lived amongst his whole life, providing…
Right, Left, Progressives and Nazis on a New Axis
Political ideas in the United States have traditionally been differentiated along a continuum of right to left. Right is often characterized as socially and fiscally conservative, while the left is broadly characterized as socially liberal. However, this characterization can miss an important aspect of our view of humanity and how that view informs our expectations for policy. This aspect is our individual and collective views of nature and nurture, and to what extent each informs our understanding of what makes humans tick.
Those on the end of the axis towards nature believe that humans cannot be completely molded or changed…
Adopting False Assumptions Only Leads to False Conclusions
Lately I have been writing and thinking about the concept of “colorblindness.” My inspiration came from Coleman Hughes’ defense of the concept and the great analogy to a person being “warm hearted.” Nobody expects that person’s heart is literally above average warmth as measured in degrees Fahrenheit. And nobody seriously thinking about operating in a colorblind manner actually believes that they can not see a person’s skin color or infer anything about them.
In articulating, then defending colorblindness, the arguments against that concept have given me more insight into why it is the only way to move forward ethically. …
Clearing Up Colorblindness
After writing about the idea of being colorblind, specifically in contrast to being “color conscious,” I’ve been forced to think in further detail because of some great responses and feedback. Collective cognition is an important process and why free and open debate is so important. And for that I am grateful.
What seems to irk people is that there are things about ethnicity or color, namely cultures attached to those groups, that people have pride in. And there is nothing at all wrong with that, of course.
But what we are assessing — character — is independent of color.
I…
Thomas St Thomas
I’ve got questions. Writing helps me find the answers. Husband, dad, Afghan vet, healthcare process consultant, former fitness guru.
