Re: MD the worst thing about 9/11 according to the MoQ

From: Scott Roberts (jse885@earthlink.net)
Date: Tue Nov 16 2004 - 14:37:01 GMT

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    Chuck et al,

    > On Nov 14, 2004, at 12:00 PM, Scott Roberts wrote:
    > > What about someone who is not and never will be a source of ideas, for
    > > example, someone with severe mental retardation? How does the MOQ
    > > justify
    > > using the resources to keep such a person alive, resources which could
    > > otherwise be spent educating others who might be the source of ideas?

    > Chuck replies:
    >
    > I propose that even the mentally retarded are a source of ideas.
    >
    > Would you not agree that an only slightly mentally retarded individual
    > is a source of ides?

    [Scott:] Yes.

    >
    [Chuck] > I'll assume you do. All mentally retarded individuals are lined
    up in
    > front of you, from least to worst severely retarded. At what point do
    > you draw that line and say, "Here, this is where ideas stop. Intellect
    > is no longer born."
    >
    > I don't think you can. Ideas get less coherent and even
    > unintelligible, but still there's something there! A self perhaps?

    [Scott:] Correct, one can't. But this leaves out the question of resources.
    If the MOQ encourages better and more ideas, then aren't our resources
    better spent in improving the education of those we know are educatable,
    than those who probably aren't? (Please note that I am not saying this --
    the question is how the MOQ answers this.)

    So even if we can't tell where the cut should lie, it would be more
    profitable (in terms of idea-generation) to just make some cut -- say at
    the median -- on the grounds that overall, our resources will be better
    spent.

    Somehow, the blunt statement of this reasoning -- its complete lack of
    empathy, or something like that -- should tell one it is wrong. But it is
    not clear to me how to explain that in MOQ terms.
     
    - Scott

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