Philosophy & Ethics

The Judge Rotenberg Center is on trial, legally, for negligence in the 31 shocks and hours of restraint that Andre McCollins suffered at the hands of JRC staff and in the court of public opinion, finally, for its decades of use of skin shocks by a device Matthew Israel created. In March, I called on Autism Speaks and the Autism Society to condemn the JRC. Yesterday, Autism Speaks issued a statement. Today, I received an email from the Autism Society providing their statement: The Autism Society exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism by increasing awareness, advocating for…

On March 22, I called on Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America to stand up against the abuse, restraint and torture occurring at the Judge Rotenberg Center. Today, I received an official statement from Autism Speaks through Marc Sirkin, Autism Speaks Vice President, Social Marketing&Online Fundraising: "We oppose the use of electric shock in behavior modification treatments. The video of the student receiving this type of treatment at the Judge Rotenberg Center is appalling and Autism Speaks joins many other organizations in calling for an end to this abuse."  In…

RELIGION     As the brief last chapter in this collection of essays, you as the reader may wonder why I’m dealing with religion now. The answer is that all the previous chapters impinge on the topic of religion. Religion has been with humanity since before its earliest recorded history. Based on artifacts found in Neanderthal Man burial sites, it is now considered possible that they believed in an afterlife. Surely the capacity for faith is deeply imbued within our genome. In his recent treatise, The Faith Instinct, on the history of religion and why it has been essential to…

EQUAL RIGHTS   Modern humanity separates itself from other life forms (and earlier human history), in part, by glorification of our capacity to codify and enforce equal rights for man. From a religious view point these modern ethics practiced in many developed countries must give homage to all major religions. In particular, the Buddhist goal for the cessation of human suffering is of a much more generous spirit than Christianity or Islam, which required belief in their respective gods. As I mentioned in my chapter on human instincts; morality is hard wired into our brain conferring…

Men and women of good conscience cannot sit silently by and allow these things to happen. This is abuse and torture and, still, people support these. Still the Massachusett's State House supports it. Believe it or not, some parents of residents continue to speak out in favor of the use of these shocks. Graphic video of teen being restrained, shocked played in court: MyFoxBOSTON.com This has to stop. Why there isn't a greater outcry--why there isn't uniform outrage over the abuse and torture of disabled individuals is unbelievable. Why hasn't the federal Justice Department closed this center…

What happens when genomics and synthetic biology labs get together?  Anti-science people flip out.  Because, you know, anti-science hippies think scientists are inhuman crazies without families who only care about breaking the laws of nature (maniacal laugh). The Richmond Field Station, already owned by the University of California system, beat out other existing spots (around 20) who were excited about the chance to host the combined labs because Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore are national labs funded by the apparently inexhaustible coffers of the Department of…

How a society treats the disabled, especially those in need of specialized care due to aggressive behaviors and self-injurious behaviors, says a lot about the morality and compassion of that society. Are they locked away out of sight, left to live in horrendous conditions, abandoned not only by society, but by family members as well? The United States does not have a good record when it comes to the care provided to the mentally and physically disabled. From lobotomies to forced sterilization, from electric shock therapy and restraint systems that resemble the horrors of a torturer’s chamber…

Mind is usually considered that part of a person that allows a unified conscious awareness of the world, our bodies, and experiences, including thinking and feeling. Since mind seems to depend upon molecular activity in cells and in brain circuits, scientists generally assume that mind is created by, or emerges from the cells and the circuits of the brain. Another view is that the mind uses or interacts with cells and brain circuits like a driver would use a vehicle Since no one has been able to explain what a subjective experience is, and how it relates to the brain, all theories about the…

Introduction The future of humanity is seen by many to be on the cusp of change. Those who predict the future see tomorrow through a lens formed from their education, experience and viewpoints. Bill Joy presages an apocalypse; Ray Kurzweil expects to ride a technologic stairway to heaven; and Jaron Lanier predicts humanity will transcend itself into an unforeseeable future. This book sees the future through the lens of a generalist. I apply critical thinking and realistic application of diverse science into my prophecy for humanity over this century. My hope is to give the general…

I would like you to consider carefully the following comments made by Gerhard Adam in the discussion that followed a recent article on artificial intelligence. Gerhard’s contribution is a lesson in the benefits of disciplined logical thought. Please read on: “Intelligence" didn't just "wake up" one day. Its presence is visible from microbes up to the highest organisms. The notion that if you just cobble together enough pieces and intelligence will emerge is simply magical thinking.”And in response to another comment; “It just seems that intelligence is being viewed as some arbitrary "add-on…