4 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Philosophical takes on cancel culture
Thank you for the thoughtful response. I'll address two specific items that you mention, each of which strikes me as playing an important role in this discussion.
Firstly, you assert that speech acts are fundamentally different than other sorts of acts. Well, isn't that pretty much the whole bone of contention? I would agree that it is, in a sense, traditionally accepted that acts of speech and other sorts of acts are importantly distinguished but this is for pragmatic purposes; and for my part I am skeptical that we should accept the distinction as categorically binding. The reason given for positing a fundamental difference -namely that, unlike other acts, speech acts uniquely stand in need of interpretation- doesn't seem coherent or compelling (notably, you hedge on this rationale yourself by adding the qualifier "in most circumstances"). All actions require interpretation. All actions connote responsibility. No qualifiers here.
Secondly, you mention good faith and the necessity of it in productive dialogue. Here we agree. Since I am someone who has, in the course of my own life, been mistaken about a great many things and who has defended positions I now regard as execrable, I am certainly inclined to be charitable and to allow people the space to develop and change. But I don't really see what this has to do with holding people accountable for their actions - especially as being held accountable is one of the main catalysts for personal change.
As I see it, the question here is one of proportional justice. Should someone who is egregiously wrong be drawn and quartered in the public square? Of course not. But can someone be shamed for holding shameful views - even if those views are held and espoused in "good faith"? Of course they can. This is how civilization works. Someone who really is operating in good faith would, it seems to me, take such an event as an opportunity to reflect on their own shortcomings, or at least to consider the possibility. Does this require a degree of self awareness and maturity that many people lack? Yes. Yes it does. But that is another can of worms.
Comment by [deleted] at 21/06/2020 at 00:35 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
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