I think the idea is that Huemer’s quote seems to itself be an effort to repair society without fully understanding it.
I don’t think this is a facile objection, either*—I think it’s very possible that “Voters, activists, and political leaders” are actually an essential part of the complex mechanism of society and if they all stopped trying to remedy problems things would get even worse.
On the other hand, you can recurse this reasoning and say that maybe bold counterintuitive philosophical prescriptions like Huemer’s are also part of the complex mechanism.
*To the quote as a standalone argument, anyway—haven’t read the essay.
I think the idea is that Huemer’s quote seems to itself be an effort to repair society without fully understanding it.
I don’t think this is a facile objection, either*—I think it’s very possible that “Voters, activists, and political leaders” are actually an essential part of the complex mechanism of society and if they all stopped trying to remedy problems things would get even worse.
On the other hand, you can recurse this reasoning and say that maybe bold counterintuitive philosophical prescriptions like Huemer’s are also part of the complex mechanism.
*To the quote as a standalone argument, anyway—haven’t read the essay.