Defending liberal democracy 17 Mar 20094 Oct 2017 I urge people to go read Russell Blackford’s submission to the Human Rights consultative committee in Australia. It deals with the changes and challenges to civil liberties in the modern era and although Australia-focussed, it generalises well once you get past our odd spelling conventions and local events. Censorship Politics Religion
Quotes Churchill on Islam 11 Oct 2010 How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce,… Read More
Philosophy I wonder what it *is* that I actually do? 14 Oct 2010 A note on credit: I have been accused elsewhere of having leached off Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, by Zack Weiner, whose cartoons I often use. Zack has not complained, and I am using the code he generates at his site, unmodified, and the images are from his site, not reposted… Read More
Biology Evopsychopathy 5: Conclusion 2 Jan 20133 Jan 2013 The criticisms of evolutionary psychology and its predecessors sociobiologies 1 through 3 focus on three major points: 1. It is adaptively-biased; 2. It is gene-centric (or biological determinist, which amounts to the same thing); 3. It is culturally biased in favour of the privileged classes of the people making the… Read More
I argue that fully adequate protection of our rights and freedoms would require all of the following: The inclusion of core civil liberties — such as freedom of speech and expression, freedom of belief, conscience, and worship, and freedom of association — in a constitutionally-entrenched Bill of Rights, along with strong procedural protections before anyone can be subjected to punishment, imprisonment, detention, ill-treatment, or other loss of liberties. Hey! We Merkins tried this. It even works … occasionally. Very good, Russell.
I argue that fully adequate protection of our rights and freedoms would require all of the following: The inclusion of core civil liberties — such as freedom of speech and expression, freedom of belief, conscience, and worship, and freedom of association — in a constitutionally-entrenched Bill of Rights, along with strong procedural protections before anyone can be subjected to punishment, imprisonment, detention, ill-treatment, or other loss of liberties. Hey! We Merkins tried this. It even works … occasionally. Very good, Russell.