Prattling of demonization, disciplinary narrative, uniformly establishmentarian scientific sympathies.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Dan Brown a Crap Writer but Must Win Case
Mar 12th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIf ideas can be copyrighted, intellectual life is doomed.… Read the rest
Badiou and Critchley Have a Chat
Mar 12th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonBadiou’s close questioning of such concepts as evil and democracy have gained attention.… Read the rest
Islamists of Sudan Claim Liars are Libeling Them
Mar 12th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Fashion matters and today the fashion is to ignore genocide.’… Read the rest
Belief in God Incompatible With Science
Mar 12th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘A good scientist insists that, before one assents to a claim, there must be good evidence for that claim.’… Read the rest
What Trumps What
Mar 11th, 2006 6:56 pm | By Ophelia BensonAnother thought or two on free speech and lying.
Part of what I think I disagree with is Norm’s implication that there are only two possibilities, protection of lying as free speech or criminalization of it.
Now, even though Ophelia puts the point interrogatively and not as a conclusion, one can only assume she does so to leave open the possibility that falsehood, lying and such shouldn’t be protected under norms of free speech, and therefore may in certain circumstances be criminalized.
I’m not sure that ‘therefore’ is a therefore. I’m not sure that failure or refusal to protect X translates to a belief that X should or may be criminalized. It seems to me it can fall well short … Read the rest
Vatican, Confused, Endorses School ‘Islamic Hour’
Mar 11th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIslamic hour one in a string of demands by a group close to the Muslim Brotherhood.… Read the rest
Resisting Creationism and ID
Mar 11th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe Alliance for Science.… Read the rest
Review of Making Sense
Mar 11th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘A philosophical primer that also offers readers a modest critical apparatus.’… Read the rest
Where Nationalism and Ethnic Identity End Up
Mar 11th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Whole populations were forced from their homes, for some the fate was far worse.’… Read the rest
Milošević is Dead
Mar 11th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonFirst head of state indicted for crimes against humanity found dead in cell in The Hague.… Read the rest
Must not Strive Officiously to Keep Alive
Mar 10th, 2006 7:01 pm | By Ophelia BensonNorm wrote a post a few days ago on lying as speech, taking off partly from some of my posts on Irving. I’ve been wanting to consider the subject a little more.
I think we may be talking about slightly (or perhaps not so slightly) different things.
Now, even though Ophelia puts the point interrogatively and not as a conclusion, one can only assume she does so to leave open the possibility that falsehood, lying and such shouldn’t be protected under norms of free speech, and therefore may in certain circumstances be criminalized.
Hmm. No, it’s not really criminalization that I’m talking about. I don’t think Irving should be in prison, but I’m not sure I therefore think … Read the rest
Guardianophobia
Mar 10th, 2006 5:13 pm | By Ophelia BensonThis is an immensely irritating article. Very typical, and symptomatic, and all the more irritating for that.
More than half of Americans believe there are more violent extremists within Islam than in any other religion and that the faith encourages violence against non-Muslims, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll yesterday…Analysts blame the surge on a confluence of factors…above all, the riotous protests across the Muslim world against Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.
Analysts ‘blame the surge’ on ‘riotous protests’ in which a lot of people were killed – killed dead, over some cartoons, the most ‘offensive’ of which was faked. Well, yes, that probably was a factor. In other words analysts ‘blame the surge’ on real events, … Read the rest
‘Islamophobia’ Worse in US
Mar 10th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAnalysts say ‘demonisation’ of Islam by politicians and the media has eroded tolerance.… Read the rest
Satirists, Nervous, Try Not to Offend Muslims
Mar 10th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonFallas festival in Valencia has survived attacks by Church, Franco, but now self-censors.… Read the rest
Creationism Included on Science Syllabus
Mar 10th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonExam board is accused of confusing pupils by including religion.… Read the rest
Denmark Hosts Meeting With Muslims
Mar 10th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonDanish government has apologised for the distress, but not for the cartoons themselves. … Read the rest
Historical Accuracy Matters
Mar 10th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Historical accuracy has prevailed over mythological ideas of history,’ says Michael Witzel.… Read the rest
Dworkin
Mar 9th, 2006 7:37 pm | By Ophelia BensonDworkin also good. I don’t agree with all of it, but there’s plenty of welcome clarity.
… Read the restFreedom of speech is not just a special and distinctive emblem of Western culture that might be generously abridged or qualified as a measure of respect for other cultures that reject it…Free speech is a condition of legitimate government…So in a democracy no one, however powerful or impotent, can have a right not to be insulted or offended. That principle is of particular importance in a nation that strives for racial and ethnic fairness…Whatever multiculturalism means – whatever it means to call for increased “respect” for all citizens and groups – these virtues would be self-defeating if they were thought to justify official
Disrepute
Mar 9th, 2006 7:16 pm | By Ophelia BensonWole Soyinka asks: who is really bringing Islam into disrepute? He mentions the riots and death fatwa over the ‘Miss World’ contest and a journalist’s comment in Nigeria two years ago.
… Read the restPredictably, I denounced the murderous orgy. To my astonishment, some liberal voices of the Western world, always liberal with the blood of others, and liberal in defense of the aggressor, chose to concentrate on the “impropriety” of importing “Western decadence” to the pristine innocence of and polluting her cultural values…The core of the main discourse was nearly lost – the sanctity of human lives over and above the claims of any icons of faith, however universally revered. Through such distractions is impunity born, and the law of the