[extropy-chat] Kass vs. Blackburn

The Avantguardian avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com
Wed Jun 9 22:40:36 UTC 2004


     Yes but what on earth qualifies him to be a
"bioethicist"? That he has strong convictions? The
impression he tries to give is that he is a "biology
insider" who has sufficient knowledge of biology to
make informed assessments of the risks of doing
certain types of biological research. This image he
tries to maintain of higher knowledge gives him a more
authoritative air and thus his opinions are to be more
valued than that of rank and file of citizenry. Indeed
more, apparently, than even practicing biologists.
     My point here is that he is not a practicing
biologist and he doesn't have the knowledge base to be
weighing the risks and benefits of cutting edge
biotechnologies. Thus his fears are founded on little
more than gut reactions to things he doesn't
understand. The guillable masses believe him not
because he has some superior moral authority such as
the "mandate of heaven" to tell us what is right and
what is wrong but because he has an MD/PhD after his
name. 
after his name.h. It would be like using a himalayan
sherpa to guide       
--- Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> A sensible friend who's currently doing an PhD in
> bioethics comments:
> 
> ===========
> 
> This is a bit silly, don't you think? Kass claims to
> be a
> qualified medical doctor and a bioethicist, mainly
> the latter. I don't think
> I've ever seen him hang his hat on any original
> scientific research that he
> may have done in his youth. Why would he need to?
> 
> Conversely, it looks as if Blackburn has done
> nothing but substantive
> science. What publications does she have in fields
> such as legal policy,
> philosophy and bioethics, which is what the
> committee is *doing* after all?
> As it happens, she may have played a good role on
> the committee in softening
> its hard line, but citing her scientific
> publications is an odd way to
> support that view.
> 
> I may not *like* Kass's bioethical writings (I
> don't), but this attack on
> him is really clutching at straws.
> 
> =============
> 
> FWIW.
> 
> Damien Broderick 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> extropy-chat mailing list
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
>
http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo/extropy-chat


=====
The Avantguardian 


"He stands like some sort of pagan god or deposed tyrant. Staring out over the city he's sworn to . . .to stare out over and it's evident just by looking at him that he's got some pretty heavy things on his mind."


	
		
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