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</p>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAA5dAfrsX8cKgRFOFv_i_JnU3jFRJ67CB+5oqvd-ZfBP3unjww@mail.gmail.com">
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<div dir="auto">A photo of me, my oldest cousin, and my
grandfather taken at that time (WW2). That's a railroad boxcar
used as a temporary residence for transient railroad workers.<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>My parents lived in a 50s "canned ham" style camp trailer for
most of the first 18 months of my life. My father was a junior
Forester for the USFS and the "forest camp" he was assigned to had
no family housing beyond that for the district ranger... the
single men lived in barracks... other married men "commuted" the
60 miles to Flagstaff on weekends and stayed in the barracks. <br>
</p>
<p> My sister still has the small "cowbell" my mother made her wear
during that time so that she didn't have to worry about her
wandering off too far while otherwise occupied with me. <br>
</p>
<p>No running water, no bathroom, no electricity... unleaded-gas
lamps/stove... but then my mother (at least) grew up in a
farmhouse without central heating or running water (hand-pumped
cistern and an outhouse) so I suppose this wasn't that much of a
hardship.</p>
<p>They had friends who bought a retired boxcar hauled to a location
in what later became north Flagstaff to live in. When I lived
there decades later, the boxcar was still there but built entirely
around with a "conventional" house. It may be there to this day.<br>
</p>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAA5dAfrsX8cKgRFOFv_i_JnU3jFRJ67CB+5oqvd-ZfBP3unjww@mail.gmail.com">
<div dir="auto"><br>
<div data-smartmail="gmail_signature">---<br>
Frank C. Wimberly<br>
140 Calle Ojo Feliz, <br>
Santa Fe, NM 87505<br>
<br>
505 670-9918<br>
Santa Fe, NM</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Aug 27, 2021, 1:45 PM
Frank Wimberly <<a href="mailto:wimberly3@gmail.com"
moz-do-not-send="true">wimberly3@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="auto">During WW2, while my father was serving in the
Pacific, my mother and I lived with her parents in a little
village in the mountains of rural New Mexico. We lived in a
two bedroom house with running water but no bathroom. Heat
was provided by a wood burning stove that was used for
cooking as well. There was a battery powered console
radio. I was between 4 months and 30 months old. I was
bathed in a galvanized washtub and I remember that. We had
no shortage of food nor clothing. My grandfather worked for
the Santa Fe Railroad as a section foreman and had a secure
salary. I remember being happy but, for the most part, I
was oblivious. A kid that age isn't happy if the adults,
particularly his mother, aren't happy. After my mother and
I moved away from there after the War we visited often until
I was five. I remember my grandparents enjoying life for
the most part.
<div dir="auto"><br>
</div>
<div dir="auto">To live like that today would require me to
give up almost everything I have. But I feel nostalgic
for that time and fond of those memories.</div>
<div dir="auto"><br>
<div data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="auto">---<br>
Frank C. Wimberly<br>
140 Calle Ojo Feliz, <br>
Santa Fe, NM 87505<br>
<br>
505 670-9918<br>
Santa Fe, NM</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Aug 27, 2021, 1:23
PM <<a href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com"
target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" moz-do-not-send="true">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple"
style="word-wrap:break-word" lang="EN-US">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, of the privileges you enjoy
and list, how many would have to go away before you
life would be no longer “decent”?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To be honest, Idon’t know what I
am fishing for here, but for some reason the answer
to that question seems important to me. I guess, I
am thinking that the notion of a decent life, like
that of a essential worker, hides some caste
implications within it. That some of us are of a
nature that they SHOULD be satisfied with less than
would satisfy me. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">N</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nick Thompson</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a
href="mailto:ThompNickSon2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span style="color:#0563c1">ThompNickSon2@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a
href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span style="color:#0563c1">https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #e1e1e1
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Friam <<a
href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">friam-bounces@redfish.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Pieter Steenekamp<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, August 27, 2021 3:06 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> The Friday Morning Applied Complexity
Coffee Group <<a
href="mailto:friam@redfish.com" rel="noreferrer
noreferrer" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">friam@redfish.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [FRIAM] "All [persons] are
created equal"</p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Nick,<br>
<br>
Thanks for asking how I would characterize
the life I'm leading. My life is just great, I'm
satisfied with my life. My need for food, safety,
love and self-esteem are to a large degree met.
Actually, I would rate myself on the
self-actualization level on Moslow's hierarchy. <br>
<br>
It's not about me, there are many people in South
Africa who's basic physiological needs like food
and safety are not met.<br>
<br>
Pieter <br>
<br>
</p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Fri, 27 Aug 2021 at 20:28,
<<a href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:</p>
</div>
<blockquote style="border:none;border-left:solid
#cccccc 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in
6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pieter, </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If, in your ideal world,
their lives are “decent, ” how would you
characterize the life that you are leading.
The way you talk sounds a bit like the way
we talk about “essential” workers here. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">N </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nick Thompson</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a
href="mailto:ThompNickSon2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><span
style="color:#0563c1">ThompNickSon2@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a
href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><span
style="color:#0563c1">https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid
#e1e1e1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Friam <<a
href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">friam-bounces@redfish.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Pieter Steenekamp<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, August 27, 2021 1:49
PM<br>
<b>To:</b> The Friday Morning Applied
Complexity Coffee Group <<a
href="mailto:friam@redfish.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">friam@redfish.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [FRIAM] "All [persons]
are created equal"</p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dave wrote <i><span
style="font-family:"Comic Sans
MS"">Why this obsession with
"equality?"</span></i></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I totally agree. But
in South Africa we have a large portion
of the population that do not have food
on the table every day and I simply
don't think it's right.<br>
<br>
So, my view is that instead of
obsessing with "equality", we should
obsess that those on the bottom of the
economic ladder should at least have
decent lives.<br>
<br>
Pieter</p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Fri, 27 Aug 2021
at 19:11, <<a
href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:</p>
</div>
<blockquote
style="border:none;border-left:solid
#cccccc 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in
6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dave, </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think of
mathematical abstractions as
aspirations. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks for
meeting me on my own ground, here.
You will recall that my original
project was to try and discover what
the metaphysical foundations might
be for my strong negative response
to the idea that castes are
tolerable. What MUST I assume in
order to think as I do. I have for
many years suspected that the
fundamental difference between
comfortable BHL’s like me and
comfortable conservatives is that we
liberals see our comfort as arising
from good luck, and they see their
comfort as arising from their
merit. Now, all metaphysics is
non-sense, except insofar as it
explains and encourages an approach
to other people that is … um ….
Good. I think than mine encourages
me to approach people less wealthy
than I, not as people deserving of
their fate but as people who have,
in some sense, made me a gift.
Thus if there is kharma, it should
be that the fortunate “should” pay
for the correction of any absence of
randomness that intergenerational
transfers might inflict on the
children of the poor. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I lay this out in
this naïve way because I thought it
might provoke a strong (and perhaps
equally naïve) reaction from
Sarbajit which would make it
immediately clear what different
places we are coming from. Sarbajit
may not answer, in which case I am
left having revealed my naivete
metaphysics to you bozos with all
the consequences that must follow.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now remember,
nobody ever claimed that <span>all
[persons] are <s>created</s>
equal</span>. I think that we all
will agree that <span>all persons
are created equal [ in] <s><span
style="color:red">and </span></s>that
they are endowed … with certain
unalienable rights …”</span> “–
i.e., they should be equal before
the law. Our differences lie
between these two poles. I take the
“and” seriously, and think that,
above and beyond the legal rights
implied by the “endowment” conveyed
by the second clause, they have an
obligation of humbleness and
gratitude to all those what have
their good fortune possible, and
that, at the very minimum that
obligation should be expressed in an
overtly redistributive tax policy.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But even if you
don’t accept the further
implications of severing the two
clauses in the way that I do, the
notion of equality before the law
demands much more of the rich than
they currently pay. For instance,
when J. P. Morgan IX runs over the
faithful k-9 companion of the
homeless Max Morgan and Max decides
to sue, J.P. can pay the requested
amount, including Max’s court costs
and be done with it. If he decides
to contest, then both parties should
pay into the court costs in
proportion to their wealth and the
lawyers should be assigned at
random. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To the extent
that the list is laced with
libertarians, I don’t expect much
sympathy from the list for any of
this. If one thing unites
libertarians, I would wager, it is
the idea that people get what they
deserve, or at least, that they have
the right to hang on to whatever
they get. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, Dave: What
is your naïve metaphysics? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nick </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Nick Thompson</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a
href="mailto:ThompNickSon2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span
style="color:#0563c1">ThompNickSon2@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a
href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span
style="color:#0563c1">https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/</span></a></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<div
style="border:none;border-top:solid
#e1e1e1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in
0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b>
Friam <<a
href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">friam-bounces@redfish.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Prof David
West<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, August 27,
2021 11:17 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a
href="mailto:friam@redfish.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">friam@redfish.com</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [FRIAM] "All
[persons] are created equal"</p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">OK,
curmudgeon and misanthrope that
I am, I still must ask:</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Why
this obsession with "equality?"</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Outside
of the abstraction of math, no
one thing is equal, in any
sense, to another, let alone all
members of a set of things being
equal to each other.</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Narrowing
our attention to human beings.
it has already been noted that
the dimensions of potential
inequality are myriad. It would
be impossible to "equalize" all
dimensions simultaneously, so
pick one, income for example,
and equalize on that dimension.</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">To
what end? What outcome would you
expect to see? Why would it not
be the case that every possible
outcome would result in
persistent "inequalities"
because all the other dimensions
of difference would swamp your
'independent variable' of
income?</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">No
two human beings are created
equal, let alone all "men."
(sic) But the unfounded
conviction that this must be
'true' demands the invention of
myth to explain why it is not.
And those myths are, in my
opinion, harmful and divisive.</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I
agree with Pieter (and probably
everyone else on this list) that
the current state of income
inequality is evil and
untenable. But, I would disagree
with any means of rectifying the
situation that is grounded in
any kind of myth of individual
human "equality."</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">davew</span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Fri, Aug 27,
2021, at 1:34 AM, Pieter
Steenekamp wrote:</p>
</div>
<blockquote
style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"
id="m_-6336081830317335666m_2782945502161850858gmail-m_-726961152989544442gmail-m_600939801068286562qt">
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you just
look at the world then "all
[persons] are created equal"
is just nonsense. What I like
to focus on is what can we as
a society do, and what can I
personally do to move
towards making all more equal?
It's obviously not practical
to expect heaven on earth, but
IMO the current state of
inequality is just not
acceptable, but that's no
reason to do nothing. For now
I just address the first one,
what can we as a society do?</p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">The current
state of politics is to a
large extent driven by
ideology and I would like to
see a movement towards a more
practical, and humble
approach. Like an approach
based on the philosophy behind
the 2019 economic Nobel prize
winners Banerjee, Duflo and
Kremer. Their approach to
reduce global poverty is
experiment-based, taken from
science. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I quote
from <a
href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilomaldonado/2019/10/14/nobel-prize-in-economics-won-by-trio-tackling-global-poverty/"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.forbes.com/sites/camilomaldonado/2019/10/14/nobel-prize-in-economics-won-by-trio-tackling-global-poverty/</a>
:</p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">"Their
work, which tackles one of
humanities most pressing
issues, is based on the idea
that to battle poverty, the
issues should be broken down
into smaller pieces and
studied via small field
experiments to answer precise
questions within the
communities who are most
affected."</p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another
quote:</p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">"Poor
people are supposed to be
either completely desperate
or lazy or entrepreneurial
but people don’t – we don’t
try to … understand the deep
root and interconnected root
of poverty." - Esther Duflo</p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don't
mind if anybody wants to
understand the deep root and
interconnected root of
poverty, it's just that I
personally, like Esther
Duflo, like to focus on what
to do about it.</p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pieter</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Fri, 27
Aug 2021 at 05:07, <<a
href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:</p>
</div>
<blockquote
style="border:none;border-left:solid
#cccccc 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in
0in
6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<div>
<div>
<p>Dave,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is, of course,
exactly the opposite of my
creation myth in which the
slate is wiped clean after
every generation. But it
would explain a belief
system in which well-being
was the deserved reward of
having lived well in a
previous life. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>While I am here, please
let me point out that
“equal in law” seems a
rather constrained
understanding “born
equal”, given especially
that the passage goes on
to add equality in law
(well rights, actually)
as an additional
endowment. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“… and they are endowed
by their Creator by
certain <span
style="color:red;background:yellow">rights,
including life, liberty,
and the pursuit of
happiness.</span><span
style="color:red"> </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Where is John Dobson when
we need him. Could
somebody please forward
this note to him. I don’t
have his email address
here with me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks, </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nick </p>
<div>
<p>Nick Thompson</p>
<p><a
href="mailto:ThompNickSon2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer
noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span
style="color:#0563c1">ThompNickSon2@gmail.com</span></a></p>
<p><a
href="https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/"
rel="noreferrer
noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true"><span
style="color:#0563c1">https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/</span></a></p>
</div>
<p> </p>
<div>
<div
style="border:none;border-top:solid
#e1e1e1
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in
0in
0in;border-right:currentcolor;border-bottom:currentcolor;border-left:currentcolor">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b>
Friam <<a
href="mailto:friam-bounces@redfish.com"
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moz-do-not-send="true">friam-bounces@redfish.com</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Prof
David West</p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sent:</b>
Thursday, August 26,
2021 10:17 PM</p>
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<a
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Subject:</b>
Re: [FRIAM] "All
[persons] are
created equal"</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<div>
<p><span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Purely
from my academic
understanding of the
subject; the Nick
that is, at this
moment / in this
incarnation, is a
product of karma
accrued and shed
over multiple
instances of
existence. Hence,
what you are now is
precisely what you <u>deserve</u>
to be. All persons
may have been
created equal some
untold incarnations
ago and before they
had any opportunity
to accrete karma.</span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p><span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p><span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">davew</span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p><span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p><span><span
style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p>On Thu, Aug 26, 2021,
at 2:04 PM, <a
href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer
noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a>
wrote:</p>
</div>
<blockquote
style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt"
id="m_-6336081830317335666m_2782945502161850858gmail-m_-726961152989544442gmail-m_600939801068286562qt-gmail-m_483865265995499473qt">
<div>
<p>Sarbajit,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If I understand the
shape of the globe
correctly, you are
waking up pretty soon,
and I would like to
pick up the
conversation about
caste, if you don’t
mind. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I believe the
proposition in the
subject line. Given
the many ways that
proposition can be
understood as plainly
false, I feel that my
belief in it must be
defended.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In what sense equal?
Not in genes. Not in
uterine environment.
. Not in early
nutrition and
cognitive stimulation.
Not in social capitol.
Not in financial
capitol. Not in
access to health
care. Not in exposure
to future parasites.
Not in almost anything
that I can think of.
So, why is the
aphorism not just
nonsense.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I find, that if I
examine my thinking in
this matter, a very
primitive metaphysics
about the moment of an
individual’s
creation. What
follows is flagrantly
silly, but here it
is. On my account,
at the moment of birth
a soul is taken out of
storage and assigned
to a body. By
“person” in the
aphorism, I mean the
combination of a
particular soul with
the particular body.
These assignments are
at random. So, for
good or ill, no soul
deserves the body it
gets. I cannot claim
credit for my genes,
my good uterine
environment, my social
capitol, my financial
capitol, my bad hip,
the draft deferment it
provided, my getting a
phd at absolute peak
of demand for phd’s,
my good education,
even my FRIAM
membership. They are
all consequences of
that initial, random
assignment. Now YOU
may credit me in some
ways, because knowing
that all these
advantages have been
assigned to me may
make me useful or
pleasing (or the
opposite) in many
ways, and that may
bring me the
advantages of your
association. But <span><span
style="font-family:Wingdings">è</span></span> I <span><span
style="font-family:Wingdings">ç</span></span>
do not <span><span
style="font-family:Wingdings">è</span></span>deserve<span><span
style="font-family:Wingdings">ç</span></span> those advantages. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>This odd metaphysics
leads me to enormous
gratitude for the life
I have been allowed to
live and great
sympathy for rigorous
taxation of the
advantaged, so that so
much a soul’s future
is not determined by
that moment of
assignment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I have no idea what
happens to this
primitive metaphysics
if I try to integrate
it with my monism.
The religious scholars
among you might
recognize as some
backass weird
perversion of
Calvinism. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nick Thompson</p>
<p><a
href="mailto:ThompNickSon2@gmail.com"
rel="noreferrer
noreferrer"
target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">ThompNickSon2@gmail.com</a></p>
<p><a
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rel="noreferrer
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target="_blank"
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<p> </p>
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