1. Religious bigotry upheld in court

Comment #208818 by maelzoid on July 11, 2008 at 9:28 am

Although I don't agree with the ruling I gotta ask...

What gay couple would want to be married by this bigot?

2. Brown says embryo research is key to life

Comment #181972 by maelzoid on May 19, 2008 at 1:30 am

Hey, I EAT animal eggs!

3. The Stupidity of Dignity

Comment #180932 by maelzoid on May 16, 2008 at 6:52 am

I was going to take another pass at Bobby G here but MaxD has done a pretty good job.

I'd only like to say the BobbyG's response to me was pedantic (arguing aboyut the concept of dignity as opposed to the definiton of dignity), used the 'here's an expert who knows more than you on this subject so you must be wrong therefore I'm right' argument and finally patronising to wit, 'you've been had'

And after all that, he didn't actually argue clearly and logically against the two main points of my post.

But even if Pinker is 'out if his depth' arguing about dignity - doesn't that mean that most of the rest of us are as well? And if that's the case, is it really a useful basis for which real decisions with regard to bioethics should be made.

It seems to me that 'Dignity' is something of a 'Rorschach word' - people look at it and see what they want.

4. The Stupidity of Dignity

Comment #180493 by maelzoid on May 15, 2008 at 5:26 am

re: Bobby G's comments.

I understand your two-tier definition of 'dignity' but I think to use at as a means of criticising SP's original article is not only unfair but also irrelevant.

Pinker clearly states that the word itself is vague and maleable and to that end not useful when being used to formulatre political policy. You have just proved him right by taking this maleable word and effectively chopping it in two.

More pertinently however, the original 'Dignity' report itself does not differentiate between your two definitions. Your beef should be with the writers of the report. Given that Pinker has no use for the term 'dignity' in this instance I don't think it's his responsibilty to redefine it beyond its use in the original 'Dignity' report.