Me:
> Don't agree. "Deprogramming" children (wasn't this common with
> communists?) is indeed quarantine-in-action. An intimate part
> of of the parent-child relationship is to pass on one's traditions
> and beliefs. To "deprogram" is to disrupt this process and thus
> quarantine the parent's beliefs.
Tedd:
>That's a hell of a stretch and certainly not the normal use of
>the word quarantine.
I would say it's very close to the use of the word Dennett had
in mind. Of course, he might have had leper colonies in mind
when he advocated 'quarantine,' and if this is the case, he
is a far more dangerous and intolerant fundamentalist than I
thought.
>By that definition, any biology teacher
>may be quarantining the parents of any student he teaches.
No, Dennett's faith is not "biology." Students can learn
about biology without having to be indoctrinated in
Dennett's faith that all evolution is indeed driven by natural
selection. After all, there is no evidence for this faith.
>So now, if I manage to change the mind of an ardent creationist,
>I am quarantining his parents? If I play a part in altering
>your thinking beyond what you were taught as a child, does that
>mean I am quarantining your parents?
Dennett is not talking about isolated examples, he is talking
about a generic approach to memes he doesn't agree with.
In response to parents who would teach their children to doubt
Dennett's beliefs, remember his response:
"then you must expect, at the very least, that those of us who
have freedom of speech will feel free to describe your teachings as the
spreading of falsehoods, and will attempt to demonstrate this to your
children at the earliest opportunity. Our future well-being--the well-being
of all of us on the planet--depends on the education of our descendants."
Note that this is "the very least" "we" will do. Note how he inflates his
own views into the realm of cosmic importance (typical of fundamentalists)
where "we" will do what it takes to secure "our future well being."
Dennett has in mind more than a one-on-one debate, but an overall
large-scale approach to accomplish the following:
"The message is clear," he wrote: "those who will not accomodate,
who will not temper, who insist on keeping only the purest
and wildest strain of their heritage alive, we will be obliged,
reluctantly, to cage or disarm, and we will do our best to
disable the memes [traditions] they fight for."
I'm afraid my interpretation closely and logically follows
the written intentions of Dennett. But I bore of this topic.
Mike
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