Is experience needed to understand?

[fernando]

This is an argument capitalists have given us on many occassions. Gusanos are legendary for this argument since its the only partly truth based argument they might give. You will hear a remark like: "how can you judge on the situation in Cuba if you havent lived there?" So my question is, can an outsider make judgements on a situation in which he/she hasnt been part of?

How can a rich person 'understand' the needs of the poor if he has never been down there?

Discuss!

[ComradeRed]

That's a pretty circular argument, I'd get him/her on being fallacious.

[Amusing Scrotum]

Using that kind of logic people who had an opinion on anything that wasn't directly happening to them, would have a worthless opinion.

Someone couldn't comment on professional sports, if they hadn't played professionally, couldn't comment on a war if they hadn't been fighting in it, etc.

Also by this same logic, George Bush couldn't offer a single valid opinion on either Cuba, Venezuela or even Iraq.

The truth is no one person can make a 100% accurate comment on anything, because whatever their situation a certain amount of bias will be involved. In fact a lot of the time a detached viewpoint is better as it lacks a lot of the emotional baggage present when someone is directly involved.

[*PRC*Kensei]

Originally posted by [email protected] 15 2005, 01:02 PM
This is an argument capitalists have given us on many occassions. Gusanos are legendary for this argument since its the only partly truth based argument they might give. You will hear a remark like: "how can you judge on the situation in Cuba if you havent lived there?" So my question is, can an outsider make judgements on a situation in which he/she hasnt been part of?

How can a rich person 'understand' the needs of the poor if he has never been down there?

Discuss!
You need experience anyway... empirism...

But "thinking" about something also helps...
in my opinion, you should always know the "history" & "location" of something before u judge it --> i mean: You need to know from what people come to judge where they are going...
Capitalist always think about NOW & "the near future". they like to forget the past, unless the can make mony out of history / tell the same old shames of left - evrything a socialist counnty has ever done wrong is repeated & anylised 1000000000's of times by the capitalist county's) over and over again.