Posts
Apparently an
advocate of torture as practiced by agents of the US government. I will not go into a detailed review /
analysis of his post – I would have not much new to add since earlier
today. I will only comment on one
line, his last line in the essay:
If we cannot see beyond the moment
today, we will pay dearly tomorrow and in many more tomorrows.
To see beyond the moment requires some principle, something to
believe in, future orientation, a set of values for guidance, culture.
Sowell knows well the
value of culture. He can see beyond the moment when it comes to the various
welfare and dependency programs of the US government. He can see what these do to the culture.
From Nuclear
Deterrence, Morality and Realism, by John Finnis, Joseph M. Boyle, Jr., and
Germain Grisez:
For even if one has a serious moral
responsibility, one can be morally barred from using the only available means
to fulfill it…. If one finds oneself in circumstances such that there is no
moral way to discharge one’s positive duties, then one should not discharge
them.
Even accepting Sowell’s far-fetched hypothetical – of which I
am completely certain does not describe the situation of even one of the
tortured detainees – the methods applied will both be shaped by and shape the
culture.
Ideas have consequences; values have consequences; an accepted
culture has consequences. A culture of
constantly degrading, dehumanizing, and otherwise devaluing human life is a
culture not long to survive. When something
is not valued, there will be less demand for it, and the market will ensure
that less is therefore produced. Simple economics.
Torture is just the latest discussion topic that
demonstrates that this is the culture of today’s West. Valuing human life is not demanded;
therefore, as time passes (beyond the moment), the market will ensure that this
is reflected in all aspects of relationships.
This is Sowell’s shortsightedness; inexcusable for someone
so well-versed in both economics and the social sciences.
(HT Laurence
Vance)
I am glad you raised the subject. When I first discovered Thomas Sowell's website, I fully admired his brilliance. But, gradually, there came up a bitter taste, when I realized how he was defending the indefensible. It is unbelievable that such an exceptionally intelligent man can take such a position. Finding out how such a brilliant man can be so blind to the obvious might give us an insight into why humankind suffers so many setbacks. I cannot imagine that he is simply prostituting himself.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you raised the subject. When I first discovered Thomas Sowell's website, I fully admired his brilliance. But, gradually, there came up a bitter taste, when I realized how he was defending the indefensible. It is unbelievable that such an exceptionally intelligent man can take such a position. Finding out how such a brilliant man can be so blind to the obvious might give us an insight into why humankind suffers so many setbacks. I cannot imagine that he is simply prostituting himself.
ReplyDeleteI quit bowing to the Sowell altar long ago. He struck me as inconsistent, and his position on torture is indefensible.
ReplyDeleteA sign to to me that a person is a sellout is their having a post at the Hoover Institute. The good -- like Antony Sutton -- leave that place, of their own accord, or not.
Sowell gave the thought:
ReplyDeleteSuppose some criminals kidnapped your family, put them in a room with a time bomb, you caught the criminal but he doesn't want to tell you where they are. Would you hurt him even torture him to force the information from him even if it may not work? Would you sacrifice your family to the principle you would never torture someone ever?
Is there something to the Kantian notion that you can't betray your principles even if it prevent greater harm?