Keith, I too believe in muscle memory. I also believe that sometimes such things in the brain carries forth through generations. But I do not believe that humans are machines who exist more in the stimulus response mode than the learning creation modality. Instead I believe that machines can sometimes go faster than we can such as automobiles and computers but that with the exception of the damaged humans, we have the possibility through pedagogy of learning our limitations, memories, talents etc. and freely using them in a unique and humane manner. Even the severely damaged like the obvious example of Hawking, can rise above such damage and achieve greatness. Whether societies can muster the energy to go beyond the laziness that exists in our current philosophies is another matter. I don't feel a lot of encouragement when contemplating such things.
Ray Evans Harrell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Hudson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 3:25 PM Subject: Allaying your fears? ( was Re: William E. Grim is sick ( was Re: Fw: Hitler's Children > Selma, > > At 14:14 26/09/02 -0400, you wrote: > >Keith, > > > >I appreciate the fact that you are, apparently, trying to comfort me and > >allay my fears about anti-Semitism, but, given your assumptions, you may > >very well have said the same thing to Jews living in Germany during the > >thrities. > > > >Selma > > I'm not trying to allay your fears about anti-Semitism. I am fearful, too, > of any sort of anti-racism that arises. What I'm trying to say (and which > would not been available to the German Jews in the Thirties or to the > non-German western nations that let them down so lamentably at that time) > is that our rapidly accreting knowledge of human behaviour (that it is > deeply genetic as well as environmental in causality) ought now to give us > better ways of dealing with anti-racism than being moralistic about it as > politically correct, but hypocritical, politicians are wont to be these > days. We cannot afford to neglect the increasing knowledge of ourselves for > the sake of spurious idealism. > > Keith > > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Keith Hudson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Ray Evans Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 12:03 PM > >Subject: William E. Grim is sick ( was Re: Fw: Hitler's Children > > > > > >> Selma, > >> > >> At 09:16 26/09/02 -0400, you wrote: > >> >Keith, > >> >I agree that there is some uselessly provocative stuff in the article, > >but > >> >the information about anti-Semitism in Germany scared the shit out of me; > >I > >> >doubt there is any reason to believe it is not true. > >> >Selma > >> > >> Arthur wrote, and Ray concurred: > >> <<<< > >> I think he is trying to be provocative and is somewhat successful in a > >sick > >> and strange way. > >> >>>> > >> > >> I agree also. (There's something wrong with the link that Arthur gave so I > >> wasn't able to sample the discussion there.) > >> > >> But I imagine that someone in that discussion has been going further than > >> Arthur -- saying something like: "William Grim is a sick person." I would > >> agree with that. > >> > >> Grim starts his article in a strange way: > >> <<<< > >> . . . . For me anti-Semitism has always been one of the phenomena that > >> doesn't really register on my radar . . . . > >> >>>> > >> > >> If anti-Semitism hasn't registered in his radar then it means that he's > >not > >> read sufficient history (or newspapers) to qualify him to write any sort > >of > >> article about racism. > >> > >> He ends his article in a strange way: > >> <<<< > >> The enemies of Israel are the enemies of the United States . . . . > >> >>>> > >> > >> He is showing that he is just as nasty and racial as he supposes the > >> Germans to be. > >> > >> I have been frequently attacked on FW list in a sarcastic way by one > >> particular person whenever I make mention of the fact that homo sapiens > >has > >> evolved from a social mammal ancestry which has lived in small groups for > >> millions of years and has strong genetic in-group/out-group > >predispositions > >> because of it. We are capable of great kindness and altruism; and we are > >> also capable of great savagery and cruelty. > >> > >> Because of modern conditions, much of our easily-elicited behaviour is > >> totally inappropriate today, but made sense when we lived in small groups > >> and tribes, and we wouldn't be here without it. > >> > >> So I'd suggest to you that you shouldn't be scared by what appear to be > >> signs of anti-Semitism in modern Germany. This and other nasty anti-racial > >> tendencies will be with us for as long as our genes are what they are. > >> Instead of imagining that we can somehow produce an ideal society by > >> wishing or planning for impossible 'moral' objectives, we should be more > >> honest and diligent in understanding what we are truly like as a species > >> and then endeavouring as best we can to fashion our modern institutions > >> around these uncomfortable features of our behaviour. Chekhov said > >> something (more pithily) along these lines, and I agree with him. > >> > >> (I won't copy Grim's sick article again. The quicker it is forgotten the > >> better.) > >> > >> Keith > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - > >-- > >> ------------ > >> > >> Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com > >> 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England > >> Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> ________________________________________________________________________ > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > -------------- > > Keith Hudson,6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England > Tel:01225 312622/444881; Fax:01225 447727; E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ________________________________________________________________________
