As a general point, I consider it worth writing things that tackle an object level issue and show how mistake theory reasoning concludes something different than conflict theory reasoning and how that is different. I say that because I think most people are at least a little bit conflict theorists. Maybe not about everything, but at least sometimes for many people there will be times they think in terms of conflict, of us vs. them, of in-group against out-group. And having someone provide a well-reasoned, thoughtful, and generous-to-opponents essay nudging folks towards mistake theory by showing how it really works on the margin turns folks into being more strongly mistake theorists or using mistake theory more often.
My strong claim would be that humans start out conflict theorists—it’s our “natural” state—and it’s only through people showing us another way is it possible that we can come to another position. Yes, any writing like this piece by Scott can be used as fuel for reinforcing a conflict theory perspective in some people, but these are also the people who are likely so strongly conflict theorists that all evidence reinforces their position and there’s no marginal difference from producing something like Scott’s piece or something less charitable, while it does a lot to move people towards a mistake theory perspective, even if just on the object level issue addressed, and repeated exposure to such people can turn them into net mistake theorists.
Could some ideal person have done more to convert more conflict theorists to mistake theory on at least this issue in an essay than Scott did in his? Maybe. But I’m sure Scott did the best he could, and I think it’s on net better that he wrote this than not.
As a general point, I consider it worth writing things that tackle an object level issue and show how mistake theory reasoning concludes something different than conflict theory reasoning and how that is different. I say that because I think most people are at least a little bit conflict theorists. Maybe not about everything, but at least sometimes for many people there will be times they think in terms of conflict, of us vs. them, of in-group against out-group. And having someone provide a well-reasoned, thoughtful, and generous-to-opponents essay nudging folks towards mistake theory by showing how it really works on the margin turns folks into being more strongly mistake theorists or using mistake theory more often.
My strong claim would be that humans start out conflict theorists—it’s our “natural” state—and it’s only through people showing us another way is it possible that we can come to another position. Yes, any writing like this piece by Scott can be used as fuel for reinforcing a conflict theory perspective in some people, but these are also the people who are likely so strongly conflict theorists that all evidence reinforces their position and there’s no marginal difference from producing something like Scott’s piece or something less charitable, while it does a lot to move people towards a mistake theory perspective, even if just on the object level issue addressed, and repeated exposure to such people can turn them into net mistake theorists.
Could some ideal person have done more to convert more conflict theorists to mistake theory on at least this issue in an essay than Scott did in his? Maybe. But I’m sure Scott did the best he could, and I think it’s on net better that he wrote this than not.