By people who simply disregard facts that don’t happen to agree with their agendas. [link fixed]… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Postmodernist Domination
Jun 8th, 2006 1:15 am | By Ophelia BensonDave asked if I planned to say anything about the comments on Scott’s Inside Higher Ed interview. I thought I would mention just one item, in the most recent (at the moment) comment, because it has a certain risible typicality. It comes from someone who calls herself, matily, ‘Violet’, an associate professor in the midwest, addressing another commenter.
I’m sorry to hear that postmodern thinking wasn’t for you. I suppose it’s up for debate whether or not we should abandon the teaching of postmodernism, a cultural movement which dominated the latter half of the twentieth century, solely based on your negative experiences.
There. I like that. I didn’t know postmodernism had ‘dominated the latter half of the twentieth century’ – … Read the rest
Don’t Ask Questions, Just Sign Up
Jun 7th, 2006 4:57 pm | By Ophelia BensonThis is good. A letter to the Times.
John Wainwright (letter, May 31) states that “tolerance implies that we have no right to challenge the behaviour of individuals or organisations that we disagree with or deem harmful”. However, the word tolerance has not been defined in this way until very recently. The traditional dictionary definition of tolerance is “the ability to endure”; that is, the ability to endure someone else’s expression of an opinion, even if we find it insulting, demeaning or offensive. This does not preclude criticism of their beliefs but it should preclude censorship of them.
We’ve encountered this muddle many times. It comes into play with the use of words like ‘offensive’ and ‘respect’, too, and … Read the rest
No Blinking
Jun 7th, 2006 4:16 pm | By Ophelia BensonIt’s a bit like belonging to a Nazi party, or the KKK, or the God Hates Fags gang, and then trying to claim not only that of course one’s belonging to that organization doesn’t in the least mean one can’t “speak up” for the rights of Jews or blacks or gays, why on earth would it, but also that even asking the question is absurd and outrageous and indignation-worthy. It’s a bit like that, but to many observers it doesn’t look like that, because we’ve been so relentlessly trained to think of religious beliefs and teachings as in some profound way entirely different from political beliefs. But why would they be? Because it’s taboo to challenge them, that’s why – … Read the rest
But Isn’t It Her Job to Join That Debate?
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonCan someone whose religion forbids abortion and contraception defend women’s rights in parliament?… Read the rest
Endurance is One Thing, Acceptance is Another
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonJust as disagreement and criticism are both different from censorship.… Read the rest
Carlin Romano on Ronald Dworkin
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWittgensteinian on sociological questions, essentialist on truth conditions. … Read the rest
Alan Ryan on Appiah, Sen, Nussbaum
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAll three books are about cosmopolitanism, but otherwise couldn’t be more different.… Read the rest
The Truth? You Can’t Handle the Truth!
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonScott McLemee interviews one of the authors of Why Truth Matters.… Read the rest
Censorship About Aids is Deadly
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonTaboos can kill, whether they are cultural, religious or social.… Read the rest
Religious Groups’ Demands for Censorship
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonResist intimidation and threats.… Read the rest
ABA to Review Bush’s Legal Challenges
Jun 7th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonCan he reserve the right to ignore more than 750 laws enacted since he took office?… Read the rest
Guy Invokes God, Visits Lions
Jun 6th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonGod will save me if he exists, guy said. Guess what.… Read the rest
Ofcom Rules on Dawkins on Religion [pdf – p. 10]
Jun 6th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonNot in breach. He said it was a polemic, and there was plenty of debate.… Read the rest
Marjane Satrapi
Jun 6th, 2006 1:37 am | By Ophelia BensonWow, that was a shock. I was at the county library today – at a branch of the county library system, that is – and on my way out I passed a catalogue terminal and had a wild and crazy impulse to look up Why Truth Matters. I didn’t think they’d have it of course, just thought I’d make sure. But what a shock I got – they’ve ordered three copies. That’s a lot of copies.
One is for Redmond. Maybe that’s Bill Gates’s copy.
Speaking of libraries – last Saturday I went to a talk-book signing thing at a local branch (of the city library this time) with Marjane Satrapi, who wrote and drew Persepolis and Persepolis 2. … Read the rest
Extreme Prejudice
Jun 5th, 2006 7:02 pm | By Ophelia BensonUpdate: outeast pointed out in comments that the article linked is, shall we say, long on rhetoric and short on evidence; or perhaps a joke; anyway that it seems to misrepresent what the game is actually like. Somebody play it for me and find out, okay? I certainly don’t want to play it.
Did you look at the Christian dominionist video game items? Exciting, aren’t they? Thrilling to know there are people with views like that out there, planning, planning, planning…
… Read the restImagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued
Your Mileage May Differ
Jun 5th, 2006 6:43 pm | By Ophelia BensonSomeone told me the other day that argument isn’t, shall we say, my strong suit – by which I think was meant I’m terrible at it. Oh, I thought, and picked up the classifieds to look for another job. This time I might even try to find one that pays money, however little. That’s what I get for leaving school in the seventh grade. Not that I regret it – those years on the streets were the making of my character.
But so I was amused to see this entry on a philosophy-type blog (a transgendered one at that) that’s full of recommendations of good skeptical, philosophical, scientific and similar sites, and says in a paragraph on logic-oriented sites –… Read the rest
Shalom Lappin on the Boycott
Jun 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonLittle point in debating boycotters who don’t accept basic principles of non-discrimination.… Read the rest
Norm on the Sublime
Jun 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonCan a dislocated, not to say broken-down, subjectivity create her subjectivity anew?… Read the rest
Hemming on Upliftment
Jun 5th, 2006 | Filed by Ophelia BensonHow does postmodernism conceive of the sublime? … Read the rest