“The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” Bertrand Russell
Right-on, politically-correct people are always banging on about diversity and inclusivity. What they don’t seem to realise is that true diversity and inclusivity would mean accepting, acknowledging, accommodating and even embracing the fact that there are racists, sexists, homophobes and transphobes in our society. They have as much right to their views as anyone else, and no-one has the right to claim their views are objectively correct and the views of their opponents are objectively wrong. The best anyone can do is produce evidence in favour of their views. Objectionable though they may be, politically-incorrect people can produce legitimate arguments in favour of their views. For instance:
The species homo sapiens is generally believed (on the basis of evidence) to have evolved in Africa, where it/they would have been black. Therefore, the species becoming whiter, in the form of Asians and more extremely Caucasians, can legitimately be seen as an advance, or an upgrade if you will (just as sapiens was an upgrade on homo erectus, who was an upgrade on an Australopithecine). Evolution moves on and the most recent upgrade is the most advanced. Caucasians took ‘civilisation’ to new heights.
The males of all mammalian species have something that the females don’t have – a Y chromosome. Having two X chromosomes is not having anything extra, since duplicate chromosomes are just for back-up purposes. That Y chromosome overrides some of the ‘instructions’ in the other 45 chromosomes, and imposes an alternative ‘pathway’. Therefore the males can legitimately be seen as dominant, or as being in control.
Even though there may not be any sense in which species were designed, it is patently obvious that the evolutionary purpose of sex is reproduction. Therefore homosexual sex can be seen as ‘not fit for purpose’. Homosexuality is not what nature ‘intended’, and it’s certainly not what natural selection would have intended, so it is a deviation from nature’s purpose. By at least one criterion, homosexuality is ‘inferior’ to heterosexuality.
Biological gender, confusingly known as sex, is determined by the size and motility of gametes, and by the compatibility of opposite types for the purpose of reproduction. Gender identity is just a feeling, and as such it is not objectively correct. Feelings may be useful, and following them may sometimes bring great rewards, but they are not insights into ‘truth’.
I’m not saying I agree with those (incomplete) arguments, but they are sufficiently valid for someone who wants to agree with them to legitimately adopt them. They are just opinions based on selective evidence, just as their opponents are giving opinions based on the concept of humanity. Instead of there being a battleground between opposing opinions on all sorts of issues, I wish we could all just regard ourselves as people, with a diverse set of appearances, opinions and proclivities, which should be tolerated and respected.
On paper, and in theory, wokeness is fine, where it amounts to what used to be called politeness and sensitivity. Who can argue against the idea that the world would be a better place if people were always polite, considerate, sensitive and aware? In practice however, and in extremis, wokeness amounts to the desire that honesty be made illegal. Everything has to be acceptable to the ‘thought police’. The law and public ‘shaming’ should only be invoked in cases of libel, defamation, threat or incitement. Causing verbal offence is not, and should not be, a crime. Neither should private hatred. However bad freedom of speech may sometimes be, in terms of propagation of lies and promotion of hate, the alternative is far worse. Having some self-appointed arbiters of what may or may not be said in public is a form of fascist censorship. Freedom of thought is even more vital than freedom of speech. Without it, we are no more than compliant sheep.
Science and philosophy do not exist in order to appease the woke brigade; they have always existed in order to try, as best they can, to ascertain what it is possible to know (rather than believe).