Thanks for this. People keep asking me for my thoughts on this book, but after skimming it, and gleaning their central argument, I just didn't feel compelled to wade into it and try to explain why/how they were arguing backwards from their chosen political perspective, rather than forward from the data. You've done a great job of showing that here.
In a way, this is a reflection of the eternal free-will debate. Do we have free will or not? Wrong question, because it precludes the only sensible answer, which is that we CAN and do make choices, but the available options are limited by circumstance and material conditions. Individuals face limited options just as do societies.
Thanks for this. People keep asking me for my thoughts on this book, but after skimming it, and gleaning their central argument, I just didn't feel compelled to wade into it and try to explain why/how they were arguing backwards from their chosen political perspective, rather than forward from the data. You've done a great job of showing that here.
In a way, this is a reflection of the eternal free-will debate. Do we have free will or not? Wrong question, because it precludes the only sensible answer, which is that we CAN and do make choices, but the available options are limited by circumstance and material conditions. Individuals face limited options just as do societies.
Once again, another great piece of writing. Thanks as always!