Discussion: Experience vs Conventional Wisdom
I will openly admit that I am not as well read on Objectivism as I am on a great many things. That said, there is some question as to the validity of conventional wisdom (corporate opinion?) over personal experience. It seems to me, and I may be wrong, that conventional wisdom superseding experience is irrational. Certainly exceptions to this "rule" can and do apply since not everyone experiences the same things in life AND to limit one self to the range of ones personal experiences could create a shallow person.
I contend that conventional wisdom is acceptable as a default only when its merit is supported by reason. Further, I contend that conventional wisdom even when supported by reason is TRUMPED by first hand experience to things as it relates to you and your decision making in your life. The individual's experience is the utmost authority to the individual when shaping his/her view, actions, and creed.
Opinions?
I contend that conventional wisdom is acceptable as a default only when its merit is supported by reason. Further, I contend that conventional wisdom even when supported by reason is TRUMPED by first hand experience to things as it relates to you and your decision making in your life. The individual's experience is the utmost authority to the individual when shaping his/her view, actions, and creed.
Opinions?
Personal experience is good, but it's not a substitute for a large random sample. Rare things are bound to happen to some people. You need large random samples and blinded experiments to get at the truth.
Wouldn't an objectivist be more concerned with the truth of anything as it relates to his/her own immediate sphere of reality, where it most impacts his/her domain?
CW isn't always based on folklore, in fact multiculturalism is more based on common opinion than fact or folklore as was the hOpe and change lie.
Regarding multiculuralism, it's a concept, not a claim. A claim might be "large organizations with people from diffierent cultures outperform similar organizations that are culturally homogenous." We could test that. The very notion of different cultures living together is just a an idea, not a claim to prove or disprove.
I normally say different cultures living together is just part of American life. Right now I'm staying in downtown London. I love to tout the US, but London lives the multicultural dream more than my home in Madison.