» What will future generations condemn us for?
[A] look at the past suggests three signs that a particular practice is destined for future condemnation.
First, people have already heard the arguments against the practice. The case against slavery didn't emerge in a blinding moment of moral clarity, for instance; it had been around for centuries.
Second, defenders of the custom tend not to offer moral counterarguments but instead invoke tradition, human nature or necessity. (As in, "We've always had slaves, and how could we grow cotton without them?")
And third, supporters engage in what one might call strategic ignorance, avoiding truths that might force them to face the evils in which they're complicit. Those who ate the sugar or wore the cotton that the slaves grew simply didn't think about what made those goods possible. That's why abolitionists sought to direct attention toward the conditions of the Middle Passage, through detailed illustrations of slave ships and horrifying stories of the suffering below decks.
With these signs in mind, here are four contenders for future moral condemnation.
I immediately thought of Professor Appiah's second nomination. What did he miss? (via rc3)
[ 10.04.10 ]
» How to Finish a Game. You can apply this thinking to the (non-game) project you're working on right now. My favorite concept: "Finishing is a skill you can get better at". (via w.o/l)
[ 10.05.10 ]
» Top 10 Horror Novels: From Jim Thompson to Daphne du Maurier, stories that live up to their genre and genuinely do give readers sleepless nights.
[ 10.06.10 ]
» "Her name is Toni Stone. She grew up in St. Paul and once played for a team called the Twin Cities Colored Giants, which played on what played on what was called Barnstorming Circuit of the Midwest. She was the first woman to play professional baseball for the Negro Leagues, she played against some of the best players in the game, and she even hit a single off of Satchel Paige." When you've finished the interview, the book is called Curveball.
[ 10.08.10 ]
» Modernist food photography from IKEA's new cookbook, available for free in Sweden only. (Any Swedish readers willing to pick up a copy for me?) I'll wager you've never seen the like. (via jmff)
[ 10.08.10 ]
» Ari Ne'ema, the first openly autistic Presidential appointee, wants the world to stop trying to cure autism, and to start improving the quality of life of people who are different. I'd never thought much about it, but Mr. Ne'ema is smart and persuasive - and he's convinced me that neurodiversity is important.
Most of us have had deeply personal experiences of social isolation, bullying and abuse, lack of support, discrimination, and plenty of other problems. But it's much more productive for us to focus on how we can improve people's lives than to keep presenting people as pitiable burdens.
No more pity. It doesn't help anybody.
[ 10.12.10 ]
» When you are a loving husband whose wife develops gestational diabetes and is put on bedrest, what do you do? Create the most adorable breakfasts ever. (via acoj)
[ 10.19.10 ]
