Re: I Changed My Mind About David Deutsch

In my view it would be much more accurate to say that David has the
greatest mind ever to have existed. His thinking is breathtakingly logical
and brilliant. His ideas have changed the world and will do so even more
profoundly in the future. I have never met anyone more pure, more
truth-seeking and more open to criticism than David. But he has never
claimed to be infallible or perfectly rational in any sphere of life.
Indeed, if anything he is too quick to warn that he might be mistaken or to
say that he is irrational in a given respect, and may be in others. His
fallibilism extends to his own psychology: he actually believes that he can
be mistaken. He doesn't fall into cocksureness, and he has always wanted
his ideas to be judged by their content, not by their source. He never
argues from authority!

David knows that even without super-human infallibility and rationality in
all spheres, human beings can make progress. While some define others by
any irrationality and mistakes apparent in their thinking, David sees the
good without being blind to the bad. For example, David has always spoken
glowingly of Ayn Rand's contribution while also having significant
criticisms of some of her ideas. Similarly, if anyone could be said to be a
fan of Karl Popper it would be David, and yet he is positively scathing
about two of Popper's books, and has criticisms even of *Objective
Knowledge*, one of his favourite books by Popper.

David has always pointed out that one important difference between
homeschoolers and TCS parents is that homeschoolers won't let their
children go to school and get very angry at the TCS idea that children
should have a genuine choice whether or not to go to school. If a child
wants to try school, go to university, or get a PhD in Women's Studies
despite your criticisms of the idea, what do you do? The TCS parent does
everything in his power to support that choice and to make the experience
fabulous and valuable for the child. One reason is that you are fallible.
You might be mistaken, even about the value or lack thereof of academic
education. The TCS parent strives to avoid channelling his child into his
preconceived vision of what the child must want and do and think and be,
instead striving to respect and nurture the child's autonomy.

-- 

Sarah Fitz-Claridge
Founder, Taking Children Seriously:
http://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/