[lbo-talk] Mirror neurons

[ravi]

On 7 Sep, 2007, at 11:59 AM, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>
> [WS:] The above may be true of the US, but it is certainly not true  
> of EU.
> I also think that you commit the fallacy of telescoping historical  
> event
> into an ahistorical perspective - what was true of X at one point  
> of time
> becomes true of X at all times.  By that logic, we are all sick of the
> chicken pox.
>
> You miss my argument that there is a progress in the general level of
> empathy and rationality, as manifested by the fact that societies,
> especially those with high level of economic development, gradually  
> adopted
> more empathic and rational attitudes.  Instead, you counter with the
> statement about the Iraqis killed - or by implication, some other  
> group
> being targeted at some point in history.  However, your  
> counterargument
> misses the point entirely, because it dos not speak to the change  
> over time,
> which I am claiming.  The Iraq war, repugnant as it is does not  
> contradict a
> historical change of our attitudes toward war.

No, Woj, you missed my point: your tying rationality or empathy to  
GDP is a spurious one in service of your crusade against the "third  
world". You are pretty right, I believe, in your point regarding  
progress (the caveat is that the progress in attitude has been  
matched by technological progress and the ability to kill more even  
if at lesser frequency)... but then you had to throw in the bit about  
GDP!

	--ravi