Margaret Sommerville

[auvergne]

There was a post in the LAN recently about Margaret Sommerville, an ethicist who will be granted an honourary degree at Ryerson this week. Much noise from the left because she's against same-sex marriage

Comments

[chronotopes]

The previous comment was written by me, but for some reason I wasn't logged in. I hope you don't mind me commenting in your journal, I came across this post through the UWO community. And now I want to post again because I see you appreciate Heather Mallick, and she is simply amazing.

I don't know if we are referring to the same article, but I am referring to the one that was written by Margaret Wente (who scares me, but sometimes writes on interesting subjects. The Globe has now lost Ken Wiwa and Mallick so they need SOMETHING to coast on. And can you believe they brought in Rebecca Eckler as Mallick's "replacement"??!!?? I can't help but see it that way and this infuriates me!). Wente actually does write that Somerville is opposed to gay marriage, and this is obviously true, but her words lead me to believe that she is not necessarily homophobic, as Wente writes. This does not "excuse" her position on gay marriage, so to speak, but at least provides some evidence that that she is questioning these important social issues beyond the traditional moral debates (as is the task of the ethicist). I think they should give her the degree too. :)

[auvergne]

We are referring to the same article. I do agree that Somerville is not homophobic. You just mentioned that it was not "entirely accurate to say that Sommerville is opposed to gay marriage". That's the comment to which I was responding. She's against gay marriage, period. She does not, however, spread anger toward gay people, though she does justify limitations on their rights.

The Globe is indeed becoming quite the sad newspaper. I believe they still have Nolen, though. They just like having columnists who stir up la merde, hence Wente and Christie Blatchford. Rex Murphy kinda serves the same purpose, only I think he actually believes what he writes, whereas Wente and Blatchford write editorals without any real reflection.

I see that you're a grad student--what's your discipline?