Dear visionaries, Bill Jameson argues that if he found the sight of a bare breast caused him to consider being unfaithful to his wife, then he would examine the depth of his commitment to the marriage — and he would not place blame upon a woman who chose to bare her breast. But then again, …
Erotic Retardation III
Dear visionaries, Joanne writes: “My observations suggest that it’s very poor countries–often fundamentalist regimes of various kinds–that have poor facilities for personal hygiene and women who are hidden from public view.” To which I reply, all regimes are fundamentalist. The only thing that distinguishes them is the nature of their fundament. Prudent legislation has spared …
Erotic Retardation II
Dear visionaries, Everybody take a few deep breaths. If that doesn’t help, put your head between your knees for a few minutes. Just a couple thoughts. On the subject of female toplessness, Thomas moaned, “We Americans look like bumpkin country jakes to most of the civilized world . . .” But there is a difference …
How About a Law Against Erotic Retardation?
Dear visionaries, Susan objects to a law that requires women to keep a top on but does not require the same thing of men. “A law intended from the outset to be selectively enforced” will clearly in the minds of some lead to tyrannical despotism. Since one of the things we have learned in this …
A Chaos of Opinions
Dear visionaries, Linda wrote that I must be frustrated at having to repeat myself, and repeats my question, “What standard are you appealing to, and why is that standard binding on anyone else?” To which I reply that it is no frustration. Just a lot of fun — like herding cats. She continued by reminding …
Secular Fundamentalists
Dear visionaries, Before I left town, someone here hoped that the travel experience would broaden my horizons, and make me realize what beautiful and aesthetically satisfying civilization we have going here as a result of the whole Enlightenment project, which, in the minds of some, still does not exist. But I went to various places …
Some Basic Math
Dear visionaries, I am sorry to leave our discussion just when it gets to “the feast of reason and flow of soul” stage. But I will be out of town this next week. Have fun with this. Robert says: “What she advocates is that laws are created preventing someone from being fired . . .” …
Best of Luck
Dear visionaries, Mary responded to me with: “So, you evangelize the Palouse your way, and I’ll evangelize it mine.” Deal. And this brings us back to the original point of our discussion. Our schools, both private and at home, are filling and overflowing and yours are emptying out. Your ardent defense of reproductive rights amounts to the …
Swallowing the Reductio
Dear visionaries, It goes without saying that people who do not understand their own worldview, or, in some cases, don’t even know that they have one, or they assume it to be a straw man invented by others, and all this in a university town, are ill-equipped to understand the worldviews of others. But this …
Natural Selection and Sin
Dear visionaries, Susan tried to saddle Christians with believing in some form of natural selection by pointing out that God once used a flood to get rid of some people who weren’t quite up to scratch. To this I reply that the issue is not whether God can inflict suffering as a judgment for sin. …