> For the record, I agree with you that the process of collective action
> does have an inherent tendency to educate participants. But it's only
> a tendency, it's not an absolute law. You can't just say that all
> critique is moot because the participants are guaranteed to have
> already considered it and achieved some higher wisdom about it. If
> that were true, the Weathermen would have seen that what they were
> doing was destructive.
One more point: Even if I'm wrong about this -- even if all critique is moot because the immediate participants always have a higher understanding -- then presumably the proper response to critique would be to ignore it as irrelevant. What's notable and objectionable is that critiques aren't being ignored and dismissed (which would be fine), they're being shouted down. Which in itself seems to indicate that they're not irrelevant.
SA