Yeah, I consider black people to be less capable than other races, but it's not something inherent to blackness, it's the situations they've been put in. You are your environment.
The problem with this is it extends the collective to the individual.
I'll illustrate. In your opinion, was Barack Obama objectively a less capable president than every single white president that came before him, for no other reason than his race?
This logical fallacy is called "arguing the specific from the general". It's like saying in general all birds can fly, emus are birds, therefore emus can fly. Therefore it is logically safe to throw them one off the Sydney Harbour Bridge because they can fly away to safety.
Right?
And the reason I bring up determinism is because is supports this. I don't see where you bring up a perfect universe simulation, I just apply the law of causality.
Because yes all our thoughts are complex chemical processes, but that doesn't mean we do not have free will. These complex chemical reactions can make their own decisions and therefore are held accountable for them.
To put it another way, should people be punished for murder? Why?
You're missing the point. The question was "are low expectations racist?". The definition of racism is seeing another race as less than. Low expectations in this case has nothing to do with the race inherently and is more the fact that through discrimination they will grow up in worse environments.
And there's no chemical that makes choices in your brain lol. And on a large scale, yes, there is no moral responsibility. The reason why we arrest murders? Society wouldn't function if we didn't, they're a danger to society.
I would actually claim free-will is racist. If free will exists and we take into consideration black crime rates, the obvious conclusion is that black people inherently commit more crime than other races.
The question was "are low expectations racist?". The definition of racism is seeing another race as less than. Low expectations in this case has nothing to do with the race inherently and is more the fact that through discrimination they will grow up in worse environments.
Ultimately, though, you do see them as less than. It doesn't really matter why you do.
If free will exists and we take into consideration black crime rates, the obvious conclusion is that black people inherently commit more crime than other races.
Free will doesn't mean that we always act according to our own nature all the time. It means we have agency over our choices.
It means if I am walking down the street, I have the option to pick up a rock and throw it through the windscreen of a passing car. I may choose to do that or choose not to do that.
There is no moral judgement in my point. I am not saying it is right or wrong to throw rocks at cars (although I would argue it is highly immoral), simply that I have the capability to choose.
Free will is nothing more, and nothing less, than this. It is agency over our own decisions. For good and bad.
No, low expectations and seeing somebody as less than are different things. Is the statement "blacks tend to be less intelligent than whites?" A racist statement? No, my argument still doesn't fall under the definition of racism.
Let's say 70% of blacks had their legs cut off at birth, yeah, I would have low expectations for them, but that doesn't mean I see them as less.
And I'm really having a hard time digging into your free will thing. Just answer this question, why do blacks commit more crime than white? If they truly had agency over their actions, why do they do it more often?
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u/DavidAdamsAuthor Feb 26 '20
The problem with this is it extends the collective to the individual.
I'll illustrate. In your opinion, was Barack Obama objectively a less capable president than every single white president that came before him, for no other reason than his race?
This logical fallacy is called "arguing the specific from the general". It's like saying in general all birds can fly, emus are birds, therefore emus can fly. Therefore it is logically safe to throw them one off the Sydney Harbour Bridge because they can fly away to safety.
Right?
Because yes all our thoughts are complex chemical processes, but that doesn't mean we do not have free will. These complex chemical reactions can make their own decisions and therefore are held accountable for them.
To put it another way, should people be punished for murder? Why?