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- Thread starter MetroMan
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Irishmonk
Senior Member
Roy G Biv
Senior Member
Saying that "mutation is natural" is an empty statement. Mutation is simply a fundamental biololgical mechanism which creates/sustains genetic diversity.
More relevant would be its effect on fitness: neutral, positive, or negative. It would also be important to look at how our environment is affecting the frequency of these mutations. Cancer IS natural, but its frequency may not be.
The "it's natural" argument is not a good one, which is why I cringe when it's used in support of homosexuality. Unethical behaviours are completely natural (ie. adultery, murder, and shitting on the spot your standing on).
Poverty should be examined in terms of its role in a capitalist system. IMO, dire poverty is not a cog in the machine, but people making min-wage IS a huge cog in the machine.
Ok, sorry to take this off-topic.
More relevant would be its effect on fitness: neutral, positive, or negative. It would also be important to look at how our environment is affecting the frequency of these mutations. Cancer IS natural, but its frequency may not be.
The "it's natural" argument is not a good one, which is why I cringe when it's used in support of homosexuality. Unethical behaviours are completely natural (ie. adultery, murder, and shitting on the spot your standing on).
Poverty should be examined in terms of its role in a capitalist system. IMO, dire poverty is not a cog in the machine, but people making min-wage IS a huge cog in the machine.
Ok, sorry to take this off-topic.
CanadianNational
Senior Member
barrytron3030
Active Member
Rob Ford is a comic book supervillain. We elected The Penguin to be our mayor. May David Miller's ghost have mercy on our souls.
adma
Superstar
Actually, Etobicoke-mayor predecessor Dennis Flynn was even more of a Penguin doppleganger...
Spoonman
Active Member
Just to take your tangent and run with it, I'm not sure what you mean by that. Notwithstanding whether or not it's "natural", do you mean to imply that homosexuality is unethical?
tkip
Active Member
I read his post and I'm sure what he meant either. I think he's right about mutations being the mechanism behind genetic diversity though. My brother use to talk about this all the time. He also use to talk about how diseases were absolutely part of this process and that our attempts to wipe them out was futile and that we actually need diseases because they play a part in genetic diversity.
GraphicMatt
Looking forward to a FRESH START for Toronto
I think his point is that whether homosexuality is 'natural' or not is totally irrelevant. Even if it wasn't natural, there still wouldn't be anything immoral/unethical about homosexuality.
Prometheus The Supremo
►Member №41+⅜◄
i wonder if those who condemn homosexuality because they claim it's not natural would ever want to have artificial respiration performed on them should they stop breathing on their own?
jje1000
Senior Member
Rob Ford has chosen his administration.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...or-to-form-new-administration/article1806846/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...or-to-form-new-administration/article1806846/
allabootmatt
Senior Member
No surprises there. I can live with Karen Stintz as TTC chair. She always struck me as pretty reasonable.
SimonP
Active Member
TTC chair has to be confirmed by council. It'd be nice if councillors could get a firm commitment to at least the Eglinton Line before voting her in.
archanfel
Active Member
Oh, I am sure there's no incentive. Please light your house on fire and wait for the fire department to put out the fire (for free).
archanfel
Active Member
I think the least we could do is to acknowledge that poverty does have a role in a capitalist system just like mutation is important to create genetic diversity. From Adma's picture, just think of Bart as an ape and the three eyed fish as a human, then you would see why mutation is important. Of course, that wouldn't work for religious people.
Poverty also plays an important role in society. Unfortunately, that fact is equally lost to religious people, or those people who believe that morality is absolute or divinely designed. The effects of poverty can be quite negative, just like the effects of mutation are usually nasty. However, that does not mean poverty is not important or not an necessity of a capitalist society.
Society should then target the negative effects of poverty rather than just consider poverty evil. Toronto spends $800 million on social housing. Is the result worthy of that price tag? If you remove self-righteousness, the answer is negative. In fact, I'd even say it is creating poverty through moral hazards more than combating it.
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