Who Knew It Took So Many Words To Tap Dance?
US News and World Report's "God and Country" blogger Dan Gilgoff published an interview between Doug Kmiec and Robert George who discussed a range of bioethics topics including when life begins, the moral status of the embryo and more.
Gilgoff described it like this: "Grab a beverage and get comfortable. George's answers are by no means brief. But they present the antiabortion case in eloquent, often philosophical terms that draw deeply on modern science." For some of these explanations, Tolstoy could have been more brief. Then again, when you have to hold positions this convoluted perhaps you could understand why the arguments have to become as complicated as George's do.
(Read George's own answer to his self-imposed question "Does the life of a human being begin at implantation? to see what I mean.)
Summer Johnson, PhD
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It strikes me as slightly hypocritical to criticize Robert George for making overly complicated arguments while in the very previous post you criticize Alisa Harris for being overly simplistic in her discussion of reimbursement for living donors.
Reading your post I was expecting a ridiculous, complicated, 'convoluted' argument from Robert George. Instead, what I read was a reasoned argument based upon certain metaphysical assumptions and an explanation of those assumptions, not a ludicrous bioethical megalomaniac as this post would make him out to be.
It's called metaphysics Dr. Johnson. Moral argumentation, bioethics included, always has metaphysical assumptions. Anyone who tells you different is selling something, and that something is most likely tripe. Bioethics as a field would be better off if more ethicists spent time discussing the metaphysical implications of their arguments like George does in this interview. Kudos to him for decent discussion.
- by jrmbg on Apr 6, 2009 at 5:43 PM | link
Summer, you are big on advising others (Christians, people who don't want the government micromanaging their healthcare) to take a look at their opinions and presumably conclude that they should agree with you. Do you ever seriously consider whether those whose carefully thought-out opinions differ from yours might be right?
- by Laura(southernxyl) on Apr 7, 2009 at 9:39 PM | link