I was one of those who didn't 'get' your piece at Aporia so I came over here to read a bit more since it seemed to me that you might be saying something important.
I think you are right to say that almost everyone, myself included, approached your essay from a rationalist framework. That way of thinking is so ingrained that it just comes as second nature. To jetison it would require something akin to a religious revelation. Even so, it's something I will think about as there was a time, long ago before I started engaging with books and newspapers, when I wasn't so much of a rational creature. To embrace prejudice may even feel like a 'homecoming'.
I really appreciate this. As you say, the rationalist approach is so ingrained that adopting a new paradigm can feel closer to a religious shift than a change in opinion. And the 'homecoming' image is exactly right: that is just how it felt for me.
I hope my other writing might help develop this further, or in different ways.
I was one of those who didn't 'get' your piece at Aporia so I came over here to read a bit more since it seemed to me that you might be saying something important.
I think you are right to say that almost everyone, myself included, approached your essay from a rationalist framework. That way of thinking is so ingrained that it just comes as second nature. To jetison it would require something akin to a religious revelation. Even so, it's something I will think about as there was a time, long ago before I started engaging with books and newspapers, when I wasn't so much of a rational creature. To embrace prejudice may even feel like a 'homecoming'.
I really appreciate this. As you say, the rationalist approach is so ingrained that adopting a new paradigm can feel closer to a religious shift than a change in opinion. And the 'homecoming' image is exactly right: that is just how it felt for me.
I hope my other writing might help develop this further, or in different ways.