These aren’t unattributed declarations, they’re quotes. As such, I think that the author’s beliefs and character are fair game. Mein Kampf undoubtedly contains some true statements, that doesn’t mean one would want to quote Hitler on a blog dedicated to rationality. Additionally, if the quote is so pedestrian (as I believe Adams’s is) that “a blind squirrel” could find it, I think that might justify a search for a more worthy mouthpiece.
Yes, this is something of an aesthetic argument, but I think it’s still valid.
@Caledonian, @michael vassar
These aren’t unattributed declarations, they’re quotes. As such, I think that the author’s beliefs and character are fair game. Mein Kampf undoubtedly contains some true statements, that doesn’t mean one would want to quote Hitler on a blog dedicated to rationality. Additionally, if the quote is so pedestrian (as I believe Adams’s is) that “a blind squirrel” could find it, I think that might justify a search for a more worthy mouthpiece.
Yes, this is something of an aesthetic argument, but I think it’s still valid.