tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-464668402831298194.post8846208094979412471..comments2023-10-26T12:19:08.652+01:00Comments on Cllr Joe Ryan's Blog: Equality’s Mister Right goesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13337418092426100439noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-464668402831298194.post-73348390196916680202008-12-15T17:21:00.000+00:002008-12-15T17:21:00.000+00:00I don't accept your argument that its the states f...I don't accept your argument that its the states function to just provide for rights as opposed to provide rights. I believe the state has an obligation to each citizen and must uphold that citizens rights.<BR/><BR/>Your earlier premise that individuals are naturally more inclined towards some areas of learning over others and your suggestion that it is some way evolutionary and inevitable ignores the reality that in no other species is this observation made for. Genetics and evolution do not work differently in the context of human development. What makes us different is that we have the intellectual capacity to rationalise on fairness. This is no way a genomic characteristicAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13337418092426100439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-464668402831298194.post-23277772044807017582008-12-15T04:47:00.000+00:002008-12-15T04:47:00.000+00:00"Your comments ignore the Irish experience where i..."Your comments ignore the Irish experience where inequity in education is rife, ironically a area which the EA rarely impacted on other than the recent Cork VEC case." <BR/><BR/>Yes, well of course I agree that a reasonable quality of child care, early childhood education should be available for all. My point is simply that these equality organisations need to focus on ensuring processes are fair, and that people have an equal chance. <BR/><BR/>However, going beyond that and demanding actual equal outcomes for groups (ie. through quotas or affirmative action) seems unfair. People need to be treated as individuals, not as members of groups. Otherwise it simply leads to more discrimination against other individuals because they are in the wrong group.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06433938640743137409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-464668402831298194.post-25588109657935726772008-12-14T17:53:00.000+00:002008-12-14T17:53:00.000+00:00I disagree entirely. I think that you fundamentall...I disagree entirely. I think that you fundamentally misinterpret the effect of environment on learning, in particular the inability in a society like Ireland, where in the EU we have the highest levels of inequality, of many parents to provide the type of environment within which we know learning prospers. Your comments ignore the Irish experience where inequity in education is rife, ironically a area which the EA rarely impacted on other than the recent Cork VEC case. <BR/><BR/>You also ignores the entire concept about what do we actually mean by learning. My experience is that learning is measured usually on societies needs as opposed to encouraging the individual innovation and inventiveness. Societies where this approach is taken are generally more egalitarian. How many doctors are there born and raised in Dublin 1, how many building labourers are born and reared in Foxrock?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13337418092426100439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-464668402831298194.post-48388816835806411232008-12-14T04:04:00.000+00:002008-12-14T04:04:00.000+00:00People need to focus on individual rights, not gro...People need to focus on individual rights, not group rights. Focussing on equal outcomes invariably leads to individual injustice as groups tend to perform differently. For instance, in Dan Seligman's book 'A Question of Intelligence' he notes that East Asians tend to outperform whites on non-verbal elements in the tests (whether taken in the US, Asia, or the UK & also when adopted by non Asian families). So, expecting whites to be as represented in math/science professions per population seems unrealistic. Likewise, Ashkenazi Jews consistently score above average on psychometric tests. Not every group is going to be represented in the professions to the same extent. There is, however, overlap amongst groups so you can't imply much about an individual based on a group average. <BR/><BR/>This is why insisting on equal outcomes rather than equal opportunity is beating up against human nature & evolution. <BR/><BR/>http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2007/10/james-watson-tells-inconvenient-truth_296.php<BR/><BR/>http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2008/01/no-scientific-basis-for-race.htmlBenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06433938640743137409noreply@blogger.com