the benefits of legalized abortion

May 18, 2006 20:51

I've been reading Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's book Freakonomics.  A particular passage strikes me as fascinating and I wanted to know what you out there think.

A bit of backstory.  As you'll recall, crime and gang violence was paramount in the minds of all Americans in the early and mid 90s.  Teenage violent offenders and violent ( Read more... )

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Eugenics, much? bhavanibbana May 19 2006, 14:04:29 UTC
This is, by far, the worst argument one could present for legalized abortion short of recreation.
Yikes.

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Re: Eugenics, much? iramoved May 19 2006, 16:50:20 UTC
I don't think the author was proposing anything to do with eugenics. And, I, having posted such a thing don't believe in eugenics either.

We have a problem. The problem is human nature. The problem is also that it has been proven that unstable family lives breed criminals.

How is religion not then eugenics? Religion emphasizes peace, tolerance, and compassion. Do you believe that if there was no religion then criminals would be deprived of their right to be violent?

Do you believe that criminals are born inherently violent and thus we need to have them in society because they have a right to exist?

Do you believe that criminals exist in society to thin out the herd? What about serial killers? Do they serve a fundamental purpose?

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Re: Eugenics, much? bhavanibbana May 20 2006, 17:35:00 UTC
The problem is human nature.
I do not agree with this.

The problem is also that it has been proven that unstable family lives breed criminals.
You confuse correlation with causality. No form of science, criminology including, offers proof. Proof is confined to systems, such as logic and mathematics, where the axioms are pre-defined.

How is religion not then eugenics? Religion emphasizes peace, tolerance, and compassion.
Eugenics is a social philosophy and/or a scientific movement to create "better" human beings by various interventions. Urging living people to better themselves is not the same.

Do you believe that if there was no religion then criminals would be deprived of their right to be violent?
You are begging the question. I do not believe that anyone has a "right" to be violent, at all.

Do you believe that criminals are born inherently violent and thus we need to have them in society because they have a right to exist?
No.

Do you believe that criminals exist in society to thin out the herd?I believe that criminals ( ... )

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Re: Eugenics, much? bhavanibbana May 20 2006, 18:53:36 UTC
The problem is human nature.
I do not agree with this.

What do you perceive human nature to be? Inherent what? Selfish? Good? Evil?

The problem is also that it has been proven that unstable family lives breed criminals.

You confuse correlation with causality. No form of science, criminology including, offers proof. Proof is confined to systems, such as logic and mathematics, where the axioms are pre-defined.

Agreed. Nothing has been proven. What do you think bad family lives produce?

How is religion not then eugenics? Religion emphasizes peace, tolerance, and compassion.

Eugenics is a social philosophy and/or a scientific movement to create "better" human beings by various interventions. Urging living people to better themselves is not the same.

I have a much more skeptical opinion of free will than you do. I see free will as having serious limitations. I see the excesses of religion rather than the benefits. I don't advocate making better human beings, per se, but I do believe in evolution of human society. I just ( ... )

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Re: Eugenics, much? bhavanibbana May 20 2006, 19:22:40 UTC
It has been nice discussing things with you, but I believe our conversation has gone as far as it can. Good luck.

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