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agosto 27, 2004

Questions for pro-choice and for pro-life people

Interessante lecture do Prof. de Filosofia Michael Pajaluk, proferido na Columbia University, interpelando critica e sucessivamente os argumentos típicos dos dois grupos que se opõem em torno da questão do aborto.

(...) Opposition to abortion need not be based on religious views. The most fundamental reason why abortion is wrong is that it is contrary to the principle of the natural equality of all human beings. This principle is not religious; in fact, it lies at the foundation of our form of government.

This point may be made clearer if we make the following distinctions. A belief may be called religious for one of three reasons:

it is strongly or passionately held, e.g. we might say that someone believes "religiously" that smoking is bad for one's health;
it has religious content , e.g. it concerns God or the supernatural realm;
it is accepted on the basis of a religious authority , e.g. Christians believe that God is a Trinity of persons because the Bible and the Church teach this.
Clearly the pro-life view is "religious" in the first sense for many people. But this is obviously a metaphorical sense of the word "religious", and many political and moral views are "religious" in this sense. It would be absurd to object to a view simply because it was passionately held. (...)

Afixado por Gibel em 27 de agosto de 2004, às 20:30