William Paul Wanker, Ph.d.
Let me make this clear at the beginning: individuals, groups, and companies should never discriminate against or exploit people. Such a moral posture – if not principle – should be the foundation of any thinking individual. Period.
On the face of things, it would be hard to argue with such a posture and/or principle. For any person, group, or corporation to promote the claim that discrimination and exploitation is legitimate would simply open the door to the reality that they could at some time in the future also be subject to such discrimination and exploitation – something they surely would not welcome if they were on the receiving end of things.
And yet, such an obvious point and logical outcome – something recognized by western culture at least since the time Socrates challenged and defeated Thrasymachus over his proposition that might made right – seems to have been forgotten as it is now outright challenged. How so? Today, using claims of philosophy and science, critics put forth the argument that individual identity can no longer be understood through the lens of a self-defined individual thinking and acting by his or her own accord. Instead, individual identity can only be defined and hence understood through the lens of “relations” involving others and the environment in which the individual lives.
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