Fearless Philosophy Blogpost of the Month (January 2006)

The new year has already brought about some excellent writing in the blogosphere. Each of this month’s selections offer some great thought provoking views worth considering. As you will see, the theme for January’s selections seem to be using precise language and excersising one’s own conscience regardless of the fallout resulting in a conscience choice.

Third Place goes to Tom Write of Writewing with his post: Rape, or Just Wrong? The topic of Tom’s post is the recent trend of teachers having sex with underage students. While Tom condemns the activity as being wrong, he has a problem with people using the term ‘rape’ when describing consensual sexual activity between an adult and a minor.

Tom explains:

But now we are hearing cries of ‘rape’ in these cases. But is it?

So I ask myself; Was force used?

No.

Were threats or blackmail used?

No.

So how can it be rape?

Are we not dumbing down the term? Using what was once a description of a brutal act of violence to label behavior that is consensual, even if it is inadvisable?

I think we are dumbing down the term and we must use more precise language. While Tom’s view maybe somewhat controversial, I highly recommend reading the rest of this post to have a more complete understanding of his reasoning.

Second Place goes to Perry Eidelbus of Eidelblog with The right to refuse to work means you should be fired. Because of the shortness of the post, I will not take any excerpts from it. I think the post is so short (which is very much out of Perry’s character) because the answer to this so-called “Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act” is so painfully simple: if you cannot in good conscious sell your company’s product, why not quit, work somewhere else, and have a clear conscious? Refusing to fill a prescription if you work in a pharmacy that carries a certain drug is like refusing to sell a particular type of liquor in a liquor store. It is just sad what the Christian Right (Pat Robertson is behind this one) has done to the very conscious of Republicans and others who normally want businesses to operate without threat of government intervention (Republicans are typically opposed to minimum wage laws, race/gender based preferences, and taxing businesses, for example). Kudos to Walgreen’s for standing up to the Christian Right and daring to operate the company in their stakeholders’ best interests.

And the winner is…

The Fearless Philosophy Blogpost of the Month for the Month of January 2006 goes to Connor with his very first post of his new blog The Missing Link entitled: Ideas, Words & Action: Introducing The Missing Link. In this first post, Connor emphasizes the importance of using proper terms when writing or expressing ideas (words in bold are my emphasis):

As I launch this blog I'm keenly aware that poor writing isn't the most pressing problem contemporary America faces. My generation must confront old foes--terrorism, infectious disease and civilizational conflict are notable--made more powerful than ever before by technology.

[…]

Whether confronting the defining challenges of our time or the lesser decisions faced by every free people success depends on the same factors. We will succeed (or fail) based on the strength of our ideas, our success communicating them and the actions that result.

[…]

As I pen The Missing Link I will labor to emulate the writing style I've just described on topics as grave as terrorism... and as frivolous as the latest cultural trends … Every post will aspire to originality, aiming to inform, to provoke thought, to stimulate conversation among readers in comments and to entertain. Whether linking to the best pieces from around the Web or sharing my own ideas, I'll maintain an ethic and style so ruthlessly honest that my inevitable mistakes will prove as harmless as possible.

Judging from this first post, I will be certain to visit The Missing Link often. Connor is right on the money when he says that the success of free people is “based on the strength of our ideas, our success communicating them…” That is precisely why I write this blog and I assume that is why most people write blogs of any consequence.

On a lighter note, be sure to also check out Connor’s very funny but short post titled: International Banter.

Congrats to Tom, Perry, and Connor for your winning selections. I hope this post generates some additional traffic to these deserving posts.