For example, a culture which enables slavery is worse than one which forbids it. A proof would require some axiomatic statements about what is desirable. In the end, one has to make a moral judgment about those axioms. I’m entirely willing to do that.
I agree wholeheartedly. Once, when I was young and foolish, I was prepared to take the other line, but the issue which changed it was FGM (female genital mutilation). The fact that many older women in the relevant societies supported it became irrelevant to me when I heard the horrifying testimonies of women who had suffered appalling (fully intended) effects, and from girls and women who had either suffered terribly (you don't hear from the ones who die), or only just got away/out of the relevant countries in time.
For the avoidance of all doubt, I am also against male circumcision unless absolutely medically neccessary.
1 day ago
"I assume you mean partnering up"
A very peculiar assumption, I would have thought. It seemed obvious to me that wj meant marriage in the legal sense, ie conferring the same rights and responsibilities as with any other legally married couple. wj, what did you mean?
2 days ago
Fascinating discussion. For some reason I immediately thought of the Lord of Misrule tradition, and when I tried to work out what the connection was, all I could really come up with was that both seem to represent the human need for inversion.....
For example, a culture which enables slavery is worse than one which forbids it.
A proof would require some axiomatic statements about what is desirable. In the end, one has to make a moral judgment about those axioms. I’m entirely willing to do that.
I agree wholeheartedly. Once, when I was young and foolish, I was prepared to take the other line, but the issue which changed it was FGM (female genital mutilation). The fact that many older women in the relevant societies supported it became irrelevant to me when I heard the horrifying testimonies of women who had suffered appalling (fully intended) effects, and from girls and women who had either suffered terribly (you don't hear from the ones who die), or only just got away/out of the relevant countries in time.
For the avoidance of all doubt, I am also against male circumcision unless absolutely medically neccessary.
"I assume you mean partnering up"
A very peculiar assumption, I would have thought. It seemed obvious to me that wj meant marriage in the legal sense, ie conferring the same rights and responsibilities as with any other legally married couple. wj, what did you mean?
Fascinating discussion. For some reason I immediately thought of the Lord of Misrule tradition, and when I tried to work out what the connection was, all I could really come up with was that both seem to represent the human need for inversion.....