“Allowing mobs influence...”
If the nyt had decided to publish an article advocating killing blacks for talking in public, I doubt anyone would have an issue with an online mob pressuring the nyt to retract the article.
Certainly Callard would not be questioning whether the article was worse or allowing mobs to influence the nyt to take the article down was worse.
Not all ‘mobs’ are created equal. Neither are all attempts at influence. The influence being exerted here is purely benign—this is not an attempt to influence the culture war or get soneone fired, all that is asked is that someone be allowed keep his pseudonymity, with good reason.
Edit: After reading the full text of Callard’s OP I don’t think what I wrote above addresses their full position.
As others have noted, this is not an instance of philosphers taking off the philosophy hat when dealing with other philosphers. The NYT isn’t a group of philosphers, it is a business.
This business is acting in a harmful way, either because it is acting as a bureaucracy (reasoning will not make red tape go away),or in hostile fashion (or a higher up decided on this action just because I suppose).
None of these possibilities lend themselves to looking at this as a simple mistake of ethics (unless you frame it as a mistake of normative ethics/bottom line ethics, in which case a petition is an actual argument), where you can discuss and reach a conclusion.
In regards to philosophy needing to come into play in real life too—philosophy needs to recognize that conflict exists in real life.
If a man is coming to kill someone you know, the proper response should be reached through mistake theory internally, but stopping the aggressor physically should not be out of bounds when deciding on a response.
Mistake theory needs to be aware of conflict theory.
(Of course, if the man is a mistake theorist in regards to the one who woud stop him and would like to discuss before either takes action, one would be remiss not to)
“Allowing mobs influence...” If the nyt had decided to publish an article advocating killing blacks for talking in public, I doubt anyone would have an issue with an online mob pressuring the nyt to retract the article.
Certainly Callard would not be questioning whether the article was worse or allowing mobs to influence the nyt to take the article down was worse.
Not all ‘mobs’ are created equal. Neither are all attempts at influence. The influence being exerted here is purely benign—this is not an attempt to influence the culture war or get soneone fired, all that is asked is that someone be allowed keep his pseudonymity, with good reason.
Edit: After reading the full text of Callard’s OP I don’t think what I wrote above addresses their full position.
As others have noted, this is not an instance of philosphers taking off the philosophy hat when dealing with other philosphers. The NYT isn’t a group of philosphers, it is a business.
This business is acting in a harmful way, either because it is acting as a bureaucracy (reasoning will not make red tape go away),or in hostile fashion (or a higher up decided on this action just because I suppose).
None of these possibilities lend themselves to looking at this as a simple mistake of ethics (unless you frame it as a mistake of normative ethics/bottom line ethics, in which case a petition is an actual argument), where you can discuss and reach a conclusion.
In regards to philosophy needing to come into play in real life too—philosophy needs to recognize that conflict exists in real life.
If a man is coming to kill someone you know, the proper response should be reached through mistake theory internally, but stopping the aggressor physically should not be out of bounds when deciding on a response. Mistake theory needs to be aware of conflict theory. (Of course, if the man is a mistake theorist in regards to the one who woud stop him and would like to discuss before either takes action, one would be remiss not to)