peter singer sex with corpses killing babies and pr problems

John · **Posted:** Fri May 18, 2012 12:12 pm

Kayla wrote:

my point is not about singer's reasoning here

rather if academic philosophy is to be anything other than self-contained exercise then philosophers need to be taken seriously by nonphilosophers

which is difficult as i have explained

Why should Singer have to consider the opinions of someone who clearly hasn't read, or if they have they haven't understood, what he's saying?

Besides, his ideas are controversial amongst philosophers (actually, pretty much all philosophical ideas are controversial but many of his especially so) so it seems a bit strange that your guidance counsellor focussed on him as representative of philosophy. If you'd said you wanted to go into politics would he have said "what, like Richard Nixon?" You could take your pick of dodgy politicians but the point applies.

SpheresOfBalance · **Posted:** Thu May 24, 2012 3:20 pm

Kayla wrote:

recently some philosophers wrote a paper suggesting that there is nothing wrong with post birth abortion

they are using an argument similar to singer's in 'practical ethics' arguing that babies are not persons

the problem is that this is making philosophers and anyone with an interest in the field seem like total loons and destroys the credibility of philosophy

i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like

philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies

how do you answer that
When I went to school the guidance counselors were also teachers, in that case I would have countered, "by that measure, how many students have you had sex with," or, "I guess that means that all teachers have sex with their students, huh?" either way you show the absurdity of their inference.

its not like singer can be easily dismissed as an obvious kook on the fringes of philosophy - he is not even if he should be

The Jesus Head · **Posted:** Thu May 31, 2012 1:51 pm

Quote:

i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like

philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies

how do you answer that

It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.

SpheresOfBalance · **Posted:** Thu May 31, 2012 3:41 pm

The Jesus Head wrote:

Quote:

i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like

philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies

how do you answer that

It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.

You try and turn the other cheek. This allows one to pass by unfettered on egg shells, ensuring the next one to pass experiences the same, thus perpetuating the problem.

I give them and aye for an aye, or a nay for a nay, and with any luck they learn and the cycle is broken.

Yours only cares for the one being stepped upon, but has absolutely no caring for the one doing the stepping. Let's do everyone a favor, not just our own 'kind.'

The Jesus Head · **Posted:** Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:55 am

SpheresOfBalance wrote:

The Jesus Head wrote:

Quote:

i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like

philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies

how do you answer that

It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.

You try and turn the other cheek. This allows one to pass by unfettered on egg shells, ensuring the next one to pass experiences the same, thus perpetuating the problem.

I give them and aye for an aye, or a nay for a nay, and with any luck they learn and the cycle is broken.

Yours only cares for the one being stepped upon, but has absolutely no caring for the one doing the stepping. Let's do everyone a favor, not just our own 'kind.'

Even more obtuse language than Chas Whyman

Arising_uk · **Joined:** Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:31 am **Posts:** 10396

The Jesus Head wrote:

It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.

Good reply to this 'guidance counsellor'.

Although maybe not only the faculty of debating subjects but I agree a large part of the skill-set.

SpheresOfBalance · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:28 pm

The Jesus Head wrote:

Quote:

i told the the guidance counsellor yesterday that i wanted to study philosophy after high school and she was like

philosophy? you mean like peter singer who thinks its ok to have sex with corpses and kill babies

how do you answer that

The Jesus Head wrote:

SpheresOfBalance wrote:

It appears that she thinks Philosophy is a fixed concept when in fact Philosophy
is a name given to the faculty of debating subjects.
So you might have answered that you wanted to take Philosophy to
debate counter ideas to Peter Singer.

You try and turn the other cheek. This allows one to pass by unfettered on egg shells, ensuring the next one to pass experiences the same, thus perpetuating the problem.

I give them and aye for an aye, or a nay for a nay, and with any luck they learn and the cycle is broken.

Yours only cares for the one being stepped upon, but has absolutely no caring for the one doing the stepping. Let's do everyone a favor, not just our own 'kind.'

Even more obtuse language than Chas Whyman

As if you didn't understand my point, or maybe not. Oh the thin veils we don, as a means to shelter us from the truth of our ignorance.

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