Column: Secularism does not value ignorance
This article is a response to Andy Wilson’s article entitled “Endangered species have no secular value” which appeared in the Sept. 6 paper.
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This article is a response to Andy Wilson’s article entitled “Endangered species have no secular value” which appeared in the Sept. 6 paper.
The oil industry has been brought into the spotlight recently as scientists investigate a likely connection between "fracking" and earthquakes, specifically with regard to the recent elevation in Oklahoma’s seismological activity. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process of oil mining that involves injecting large amounts of high-pressure water into the Earth’s crust in an effort to widen pre-existing fissures. Many scientists and geographical survey groups believe this excavation process can precipitate earthquakes as large as the 5.6 magnitude one that shook Oklahoma last week and damaged at least 14 buildings.
Ray Kurzweil, futurist and inventor, has a 30-year track record of incredibly accurate predictions about the progression of human information technology. He has based his predictions on trends in technology that have persisted for decades upon decades. Kurzweil has honed his predictive analyses to such a fine point that his own much broader “Law of Accelerating Returns” has held true in almost all aspects since its postulation 15 years ago. If they continue to work, nanotechnology — a field that has the potential to revolutionize nearly every recess of human life including our own mortality —will become closer and closer to reality.
The majority of people consume meat multiple times a day without considering where it comes from. But in the case of meat, the place of origin is emotionally, medically, politically and environmentally disturbing, and like many other dark corners of the excessively capitalistic system America houses, most people are blind to it.
Gun violence in America is problematic, and its causes are rooted in a lack of regulation. People highly suspected to be terrorists are allowed to purchase weapons of all types, and our background checks are at best mediocre. This gap in American legislation is supported by the wallets of corporations that profit greatly from gun sales and also a constituency of uninformed voters whose bigoted opinions on the matter are passed down from generations with antiquated views, rather than being birthed out of rational deliberation and science.
Both sides of the political spectrum will always have their fair share of idiots. But an argument I hear often that pokes at the intellectual integrity of the liberal ideology is this: Liberals make decisions with good intentions but are misguided by short-sighted benevolence. Liberals support decisions that are seemingly humanitarian without checking the potential unintended consequences of those decisions.
Since the Industrial Revolution and the advent of corporations, special interest groups have been pouring money into our political system in an attempt to influence voters, control politicians and ultimately make obscene profits. The medical and pharmaceutical industries, the private prison industry, the meat industry, the technological industry, the fossil fuel industry and virtually every other domain of the disembodied corporation are all guilty of illicitly profiteering on the political system — except it isn’t a crime. In fact, it’s protected by law.
Humanoid robots have been restrained to science fiction since the late 1970s, an extravagant ideal for human advancement. But in recent developments from companies such as Hanson Robotics and Boston Dynamics, these dreams have begun to materialize. By bringing humanoid robots with artificial intelligence into reality, companies like these raise an ethical dilemma: What will the rights of these so-called androids be?
The marginalization of ethnic minorities is just one of the many social challenges our society faces, and one manner in which it manifests itself is the societal push towards conformity to the Standard English.
Police brutality is becoming an extremely pressing issue in America. All across the country we see instances of continuous escalation and the use of unnecessary and excessive force, typically against minorities. Police officers' actions are often absolved, despite obvious misconduct, because of their socioeconomic, ethnic and gender privileges. Police officers are often ill-prepared or poorly trained for many situations, as they continue to act unethically, and sometimes unlawfully. A major problem is that the law does not necessarily reflect what is morally obligatory. This can be seen in the recent Spring Valley High School incident.
Over the last few decades, pharmaceutical industrialization has posed a major threat to the well being of many Americans and to the ethical integrity of our nation.
The privatization of American prisons is but one of the many manifestations of corruption that can transpire in excessive capitalism.