As much as I detest censorship it seems to me that there's a good argument to be made for censoring pornography, or even outlawing it altogether.
I believe pornography is a destructive force in modern society. If modern leaders have (more or less) come to the conclusion that environmental pollution is harmful to earth and to human kind, and have put in place measures (however controversial) to reduce said pollution, maybe it's time for them to recognize that pornography is just as harmful, and that it too should be stopped, or at least reduced. If we need to take measures to protect our bodies, should we not also protect our souls?
To take a parallel argument, we appear to be living at a time of mass reduction in violence and crime. Yet violent video games are everywhere.
I like to think I'm in favour of evidence-based policy. What evidence do you have for believing that pornography is a destructive force in modern society?
> On balance the report found that obscenity and pornography were not important social problems, that there was no evidence that exposure to such material was harmful to individuals, and that current legal and policy initiatives were more likely to create problems than solve them.
"... the Israeli method of doing airport screening is to be admired"
Well that depends on who you ask. Palestinians or even people with distant Arab roots who are subject to racial profiling, or even people suspected of being, god forbid, peace activists might tell you otherwise. Some examples:
Putting aside the condescending tone of the article, the actual argument represents the typical Israeli knee-jerk reaction to terrorism, and the absolutely myopic, black-and-white, I-don't-give-a-shit-about-anyone-else's-pain-because-we've-been-through-the-holocaust world view so proudly exhibited by the Israeli mainstream.
I'm also Israeli (although not currently living in Israel), and I can assure you that there are many Israelis, me included, who are very disturbed by the recent NSA revelations.
The idea is interesting, but I would imagine you need to take into account various forms in which people might want to express their intent. For example, "train from A to B" instead of "I need a train from A to B", or "flight tickets to C" (the current location omitted and can be detected using IP geolocation).
Another thought I had was that many people might actually prefer to interact with checkboxes and select from a list, especially if they're using a mobile device.
Funny how things change. This kind of bullshit was developed into an art form in communist regimes. Does this say something about the future of capitalism?
I believe it's the same in every field of work. Even working in the garden or doing some fixing around the house. I'm now approaching 40 and find myself much more physically able than I was 10 years ago, mainly because I'm more patient and know better how to use my body.
Secular thinking can also become a folly, just like any religious thinking. For example, believing that anything and everything can be measured in numbers, or refusing to acknowledge any phenomenon which cannot be explained scientifically.
A rational mentality does lead to a more civilized society, but sometimes it can be just as cruel.
Rejection of catholicism doesn't mean you think everything can be reduced to mere numbers. Nor does secular thinking mean that you consider everything can be measured by numbers. I would say that most secular people don't believe this, given that most secular people are simply areligious rather than STEM fans.
No, it can't. If it's a "folly," then either it was not really secular, or it was not really thinking.
Secular thought can still be wrong or incomplete, but as far as the folly of the process itself goes, it is the only process that has advanced Mankind over the course of thousands of years. Anyone who criticizes it must be prepared to provide a better alternative. So far that hasn't happened.
I believe pornography is a destructive force in modern society. If modern leaders have (more or less) come to the conclusion that environmental pollution is harmful to earth and to human kind, and have put in place measures (however controversial) to reduce said pollution, maybe it's time for them to recognize that pornography is just as harmful, and that it too should be stopped, or at least reduced. If we need to take measures to protect our bodies, should we not also protect our souls?