quote:It makes it interesting and entertaining. Again, the self-contained universe of the producers/authors don't necessarily have much bearing in the much more complex real world. Ride. Along for. Me.
OK. I think the movie raises deep questions about free will, and whether we're responsible for what we do as opposed to who we are (the way we're disposed to behave). It's also an entertaining flick on its own merits, of course, so I don't mean to undermine your reasons for appreciating it.
Parables are another example of what I'm talking about. Aesop's fables are often unrealistic, but they point toward principles that the reader can learn from.
quote:That's a stretch. But even so, it does not make the case that it should help shape policy at that time.
I tend to agree. To get back to the original question, my position was never that a hypothetical cure for autism is interesting as an idea that should influence public policy. It's interesting in its own right, for other reasons, because it gets to the heart of tough questions about the mind, identity and the principles of right and wrong.
Posts: 4600 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Destineer: Anyway, deliberate manipulation or not, a good argument is a good argument, and if you can't find a flaw in its reasoning you should accept its conclusion.
Or you should examine its premises.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I should also say, sndrake, that I agree with you (and many judges) that tough cases make bad law. I tend not to think about things from a policy point of view--partly because I'm just naturally interested in tough cases! Anyway, I'm more interested in moral right and wrong than good or bad law. When it comes to stealing and murder, I like to think about the ambiguous cases where these acts might be justified, rather than the clear cases that, as you say, rightly form the basis of our legal system. Because I think these tough cases have more to teach us about fundamental ethics.
Posts: 4600 | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by sndrake: Samprinary said:
quote:That there's some observational lay misrepresentation of someone's functional differences from other individuals doesn't mean that there isn't a very pronounced spectrum of functionality with autistic people, which is what I'm talking about. For example, amanda baggs being unable to live independently is an indicator of her functional differences from a typical non-autistic person. She just serves as a person who was neglected due to an incomplete diagnosis that made her out to have a far more complete operational dysfunction than she actually had.
First, I'm not sure that's an accurate assessment of Amanda Baggs - I don't think she claims the 'low functioning' parts of her life are due to neglect.
No, other way around. She was diagnosed as being low functioning far in excess of what her actual mental capacities were, and this was due to neglect in diagnosis, either through procedure or attention.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
CT, do you have anything that's good for cleaning windows and curing sore throats? I'm an efficient parent who likes to see through windows on a budget who won't cater to the Western Medocracy!
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
even the very term 'western medocracy' gives me hives
FUN FACT: i'm watching a girl go through the Master Cleanse because they don't trust western medicine
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
