Month: May 2008

What is ‘good’?

by

It’s a good question — one posed by Ron H. in his comment on my recent “Darwinism and good” post: What can adequately explain why something is or isn’t good? Equivalently: What is good? For many (in practice this is most, I imagine), something is good if it turns out the way a person wishes. … Read more

We named the dog Indiana

by

I’m now back from travels to the hinterlands of Tennessee, where I saw — among other things — Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. As someone who has long considered Raiders and Last Crusade two of my favorite movies, I’ve looked forward to the next Indy sequel ever since the rumors started … Read more

The sexual ‘revolution’ that keeps on turning

by

I saw last week about half a minute of VH1’s documentary “Sex: The Revolution”, which seemed to relish in the notion that the “advances” in sexual behavior that occur today were brought about by the libidinous free-wheeling of the 60’s and 70’s. Off with the old American puritanism, it seemed to say. Last week, I … Read more

Technology and rightness

by

This Associated Press piece on “designer babies” highlights how — for some — the ability to do something is sufficient grounds for its rightness: But Kathy Hudson, director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., said she’s not troubled by the work. She said the idea of successfully modifying babies by inserting … Read more