The UCLA Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecturer, Prof. Steven Pinker proposes "Rationality" to understand how protesters turn bystanders against Israel & Zionists

Jewish Faculty Resistance Group challenges the hostility
of the Islamo-Marxists towards Jews & Israelis at UCLA

Some IslamoMarxists kicked Jewess, Eleanor, unconscious

How are the beliefs of the anti-Israel IslamoMarxists influenced and affecting others towards/against Jews - and vice versa?

At UCLA's first Jewish counter-protest on 28 April, a Jewish student was kicked in the head and knocked unconscious by "peaceful" anti-Zionist protesters permitted permanent encampment at UCLA (unless the campers got violent). Eleanor was among others injured that Sunday morning, but the campus administrators did not remove the encampment until it drew Jewish avengers four nights later. 

Two of the Jewish avengers were arrested during the past 10-days and yesterday, the L.A. City Council voted to allocate funds for the Islamists to prosecute the charged Jews in court.

On several University of California campuses, as well as on the private University of Southern California this spring, Islamo/Marxist protesters demonized Israel's routing out Hamas terrorist attackers - and even the legitimacy of Israel's 76-years of sovereignty. 

JihadWatch editor Robert Spencer reacted to UCLA administrators kowing to Islamist campus protesters threats if they wouldn't cancel his scheduled lecture to Young Americans for Freedom, UCLA chapter in May.

   

Mr. Spencer writes: "UCLA has proven once again that our universities are not centers of higher learning, but radioactive wastelands of far-left-indoctrination - that are run by fascists - and that train fascists - who cannot stand the light of truth to be shone on their activities."

Hamas is a kleptocratic regime in Gaza, that follows Yasser Arafat's playbook of provoking Israeli retaliatory damage and casualties in Gaza, to elicit international aid funds, which the party leaders steal - amassing fortunes. 

The campus protests falsely accuse Israelis of "apartheid" and "genocide" towards Gazans, whose Hamas-ruled Ministry of Health grossly exaggerated statistics of civilian casualties. These marches and encampments were not sufficiently confronted on the spot by pro-Zionist advocates with countervaling information for mass-media reportage. 

Islamo-Marxist encampers' Passover Shabbat service overlooks that God parted the Red Sea to restore Jews to their Promised Land

The hostile atmosphere created by agitprop displays, encampments, and megaphoned crowd-chants convinced many people on the campus of the justness of the pro-Hamas / anti-Israel charges- regardless of its validity. Simultaneously, it created a hostile climate for Jews, Zionists, and Israelis.

UCLA administration's weak response to Islamo-Marxist antisemitism spurs Jewish Faculty and students to appeal to Univ of Cal Regents Meeting (March 28th)

The esteemed, computer-logic Professor Emeritus Judea Pearl, raised in Jewish-Palestine, became alarmed by the UofCalif demonstrators slanders against Israel which plagued current Jewish (undergrad and graduate level) faculty and students. 

Prof. Pearl experienced his liberal colleagues' accepting the validity of the Islamist, Jew-demonizing invective at the root of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

But what may distress him more - having established himself as a respected American scientist who removed his family from the Islamist-besieged Israel, is witnessing his liberal American colleagues accepting the Islamist imperialist, "Zionophobia" (coined by Prof. Pearl himself) which took the life of (Ruth's and) his son, Daniel, during his journalistic quest to Pakistan to expose truths.

Islamo-Marxists marched beyond their (illegal, but the UCLA college administration's tolerated) encampment in front of UCLA's iconic Royce Hall to confront the last 1/8 of pro-Zionist rallyers. (Sun., Apr 28, '24)

 

 

Alluding to UCLA's having facilitated an irrational, Zionist-vilifying climate on campus since October 7th, Israeli-American Prof. Judea Pearl (Emeritus) presents this school-year's Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture titled "Rationality" - presented by Prof. Steven Pinker of Harvard University. "Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters."

 

   

 

Prof. Pearl acknowledges the fitting tribute to commemorate journalist Daniel Pearl by inviting his colleagues to reflect on the importance of their profession, which shares the same dedication to truth as scientists. Pearl emphasizes the elusive pursuit of truth as the driving force behind both journalism and science, with the belief that it enables society to make more rational decisions. He introduces the speaker for the day, Professor Steven Pinker, a scientist known for his contributions to clarifying the methodology of truth discovery and communication.

Prof. Pearl also highlights the relevance of the discussion on rationality to the current era of fake news and conspiracy theories, and mentions the disruptive antagonists on the UCLA campus as a pertinent reminder of the importance of rationality. The lecture is a bittersweet honor to commemorate Daniel Pearl, a martyr for free speech and intellectual freedom.

Prof. Pinker highlights our species' remarkable achievements in science and technology, yet expresses concern over the widespread irrationality observed in society. Pearl questions why, despite our capacity for rational thought, humanity seems to be losing its mind. He references the normative models of rationality from cognitive psychology and behavioral economics, which define rationality through benchmarks for how we ought to reason. These models include logic, probability, decision theory, game theory, and the analysis of correlation and causation.

Pinker discussed the role of politics in shaping people's beliefs about scientific issues. He explains that people's political orientations are a stronger predictor of their beliefs than their scientific literacy. For instance, conservative political beliefs are associated with climate change denial, and religious beliefs are associated with denial of human evolution. He refers to this phenomenon as "expressive rationality," where opinions serve as signals of loyalty to a social group or coalition. 

 

Prof. Pinker defines rationality as the ability to recognize and correct errors and biases, and emphasizes the importance of safeguarding the credibility and objectivity of rationality-promoting institutions. He also addresses the issue of academic freedom and the increasing number of attempts to punish scholars for constitutionally protected speech, which he attributes in part to the increasingly left-wing political orientation of university professors. He discusses the importance of academic freedom in safeguarding rationality. He highlights the leftward shift in academic institutions, specifically at Harvard, where a large majority of faculty identify as liberal or very liberal.

 

Pinker argues that this lack of intellectual diversity and the suppression of dissenting opinions can lead to errors and erroneous guidance on vital issues. He emphasizes that no one is infallible or omniscient, and the scientific consensus, which should be based on evidence and critical examination, can only be maintained if dissenting opinions are allowed to be voiced and refuted. Pinker formed the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard to uphold the ideals of free inquiry, intellectual diversity, and civil discourse.

Pinker notes that it has never been easier to propagate false information, and some political movements deliberately spread nonsense to manipulate public opinion. He believes that polarization, particularly in American society, is a significant contributor to the problem of irrationality. He argues that as people become more polarized, they are more likely to hold opinions on irrational grounds, and scientific and cultural institutions are being branded partisanly. 

 

Pinker suggests that the relationship between polarization and irrationality is complex, and while social media may play a role, it is not the entire answer. He argues that people's beliefs, especially those that don't affect their daily lives, are often based on morality, entertainment, or personal biases rather than facts. He also touches upon the impact of social media and the need for safeguards like peer review and fact-checking to promote objectivity. He emphasizes that our minds are adapted to a world without science, and unchecked expression can lead to the circulation of nonsense.

Prof. Pinker discussed the prevalence of ethnic hatred, particularly anti-Semitism, on university campuses, attributing this trend to a divisive ideology that categorizes the world into oppressors and oppressed and noting the toxic Us vs. Them mentality that can result. During the audience question part of the discussion, a question about anti-Semitism was presented. Pinker proposes a theory that anti-Semitism is rooted in a hatred of middlemen minorities, including Jews, due to economic illiteracy and the tendency to view middlemen as parasites and exploiters.
 

Regarding the prevalence of ethnic hatred, particularly anti-Semitism, on university campuses, Pinker attributes this trend to a divisive Critical Race Theory ideology that categorizes the world into oppressors and oppressed, drawing on a version of Marxism that has been grafted onto races, sexes, and ethnic groups. Jews, he claims, are often perceived as oppressors in this mindset, leading to a toxic "Us vs. Them" mentality. Prof. Pinker also notes that moral philosophy, such as understanding the criteria for a just war and legitimate self-defense, has receded in favor of this simplistic dichotomy in university education.