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Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 9, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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There are lots of reasons to reject the notion that anything is beautiful or ugly.

There are lots of reasons to reject the notion that anything is (morally) good or bad.

There are lots of reasons to reject categorizations of race and sex.

There are also reasons to reject those reasons, of course. But the point is that you have to actually argue for your position, and engage with the arguments of your opponents. You can't just declare that all your opponents are "postmodern", and postmodernism is evil, so you win. Why engage in political or philosophical debate at all if you're just going to declare from the start that your own view is the only one that is even worthy of consideration?

I previously assumed we were on the same page, given that wokes here were frequently criticized on those grounds. But apparently it was just postmodernist infighting. My mistake was assuming an enemy of postmodernism must not be postmodern, when postmodernism is perfectly capable of eating itself. I am still trying to assess the damage.

I believe there is truth in the beliefs of people, far more than in an academic discussion that just lists ‘lost of reasons’ from both sides. So which side with lots of reasons do you agree with on these points?