Sadre Spinegnawer
<Banned>
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I find trends toward identity politics unpleasant. So I was thinking, the big mistake we are making is, we are mistaking states for identities, and a state does not define the identity, and an identity is not defined by a single state.
Here was my thought experiment. Imagine a car. A car is a thing -- an identity or "identical" thing. The thing can be in many states. It can be parked; it can be going 60 mph; etc. The thing has multiple states. But it is still the same thing.
Here comes the tricky part: applying this to identity politics. For this to work, all transient or contingent states need to be regarded, not as identities, but as states.
That means, to cut to the chase, I am not "white" but "whiteness" is a state of what I am but that is not enough to define me. You can redo this formula where "X" is a stand-in for any transient or contingent state. I am X years old, I am X gender, I am fond of the Dutch, etc etc etc.
You can guess what is the million dollar question. If all these names and burdens are just states of me, then what is this identical thing I call "I"? I think that is where the interesting questions lie. What is the I, and, Who are "we"?
Bonus question: does "we" merely refer to our species, or is "we" a set that includes but is not limited to, human beings?
Here was my thought experiment. Imagine a car. A car is a thing -- an identity or "identical" thing. The thing can be in many states. It can be parked; it can be going 60 mph; etc. The thing has multiple states. But it is still the same thing.
Here comes the tricky part: applying this to identity politics. For this to work, all transient or contingent states need to be regarded, not as identities, but as states.
That means, to cut to the chase, I am not "white" but "whiteness" is a state of what I am but that is not enough to define me. You can redo this formula where "X" is a stand-in for any transient or contingent state. I am X years old, I am X gender, I am fond of the Dutch, etc etc etc.
You can guess what is the million dollar question. If all these names and burdens are just states of me, then what is this identical thing I call "I"? I think that is where the interesting questions lie. What is the I, and, Who are "we"?
Bonus question: does "we" merely refer to our species, or is "we" a set that includes but is not limited to, human beings?
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