My Correspondence on Racial and Sexual Discrimination (Well, Sort Of) With Steve Pinker

I developed an acquaintance with him since he used my book Defending I in a course of his he taught at Harvard. He has not so far responded to my query (hence, the “sort of” since this is so far one way), but I’m always hopeful. (I slightly edited this letter of mine to him).

From: Walter Block [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2018 9:07 PM
To: ‘[email protected] Subject: query

Dear Steve:

I watched with great interest this short presentation of yours on racism, sexism, and anarcho capitalism.

Steven Pinker: Political Correctness Might be Redpilling America

If I had to summarize your talk, you were saying that you can’t logically deduce an ought from an is. Fine. I have no problem with that.

However, I’m a racist and a sexist (as a libertarian, I believe we have a right to discriminate against blacks and females, and anyone else we want for that matter) and an anarcho capitalist (I believe this is the only moral and efficacious system; taxation, the sine qua non of government, is necessarily a rights violation). You oppose all three. But, nothing you said leads to that conclusion either. Do you agree (not that I expect you can defend your position on all three in a few minutes)?

PS. You’re walking down a dark street late at night. The road breaks into two forks. Down one are standing 3 young black men. In the other direction are 3 young white men. All else is ceteris paribus insofar as this scenario is concerned. Stipulate that you take the latter path. Are you not judging these three individuals on the basis of the groups to which they belong, contrary to what you said in your presentation (given that the black crime rate is much higher than the one for whites)?

Best regards,

Walter

Walter E. Block, Ph.D.
Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics
Loyola University New Orleans
6363 St. Charles Avenue, Box 15, Miller Hall 318
New Orleans, LA 70118
tel: (504) 864-7934
[email protected]
http://www.walterblock.com/

Walter Block Publications


Skype: Walter.Block4

Block, Walter E. 2017. “C’mon Down To New Orleans; The Water’s Fine. Enroll at Loyola University.” June 27;

C’mon Down To New Orleans; The Water’s Fine. Enroll at Loyola University

Loyola Economics Students Published Widely in Refereed Journals; http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2017/7/17/3962

Block, Walter. 2017. “The Best Place to Study Undergraduate Economics.” June 30; http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2017/06/the-best-place-to-study-undergraduate.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29

Wenzel, Robert. 2017. Interview with Walter E. Block. “The Inside Scoop on Studying Economics at Loyola University-New Orleans” September 3;
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2017/09/the-inside-scoop-on-studying-economics.html
http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2017/09/the-inside-scoop-on-studying-economics.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+economicpolicyjournal%2FKpwH+%28EconomicPolicyJournal.com%29

Top Ten Contemporary Academics Helping The Political Right (#8)
http://www.poletical.com/academics-helping-the-right.php

100 Most Influential Libertarians: A Newsmax/FreedomFest List (#46)
http://www.newsmax.com/BestLists/libertarians-newsmax-freedomfest/2017/06/01/id/793510/

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4:38 pm on January 12, 2018