Philosophy
In The Sneetches, Dr. Seuss creates a society with a two-tiered caste system. Star-bellied sneetches are socially dominant and plain-bellied sneetches are oppressed. Enter Sylvester McMonkey McBean. McBean has a machine that will put a star on a plain-belly, making it indistinguihsable from the biologically star-bellied. Thus, for $3 each, the plain-bellies are offered social advancement.
The genetically-endowed star-bellies are horrified at having lost their class indicator, but assert that the distinction still exists; they are still, they claim, the best sneetches on beaches. McBean then shows him his abilities to remove belly-stars thus re-establishing an easily observable distinction between upper and lower class. For $10, the star-bellies can once again be different from the common sneetch of the beach.
This starts, of course, "star wars" -- "in again, out again, round and about again," sneetch fashion changes with the moment. The sneetches spend all of their money trying to make sure that they are in the in-crowd. Once their money is all spent, McBean laughs all the way to the bank.
Now, there is no doubt that the system that oppressed plain-bellied sneetches was morally problematic and the star-bellies who perpetuated it were acting wrongly. But what about McBean? Does profiting from an immoral system make you complicit? If demand for your product or service is based on exclusion that you didn't create, is there anything wrong with providing that good or service? Was McBean liberator or manipulator? And if you happen to liberate while manipulating, does that excuse the manipulation?
- All-star Teams And The Fallacy Of Composition
After the baseball all-star game, I started thinking about critical thinking. I use all-star teams as an example of the fallacy of composition which is the flawed argument that what is true of the parts must also be true of the whole. It is true that...
- Blame It On The Star Sirius--the Dog Days Of Summer
Wikipedia... "The Romans referred to the dog days as die-s canicula-re-s and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius...
- Holiday Gift From Hubble...sharpless 2-106 Or Snow Angel
The bipolar star-forming region, called Sharpless 2-106, or S106 for short, looks like a soaring, celestial snow angel. The outstretched "wings" of the nebula record the contrasting imprint of heat and motion against the backdrop of a colder medium....
- Self Improvement Will Yeild A Swing On A Star And Moonbeams In A Jar
A "pop" tune from the past with stars, moonbeams and pigs. Bing Crosby Peggy Lee and June Christy Would you like to swing on a star Carry moonbeams home in a jar And be better off than you are Or would you rather be a mule? A mule is an animal with...
- Apollo 11 Star Chart Sells For $218k
"Apollo 11 chart fetches astronomical price" Star navigation aid for lunar surface sold at auction for $218,000 July 16th, 2009 The Associated Press NEW YORK - A navigational chart used by Apollo 11 astronauts has become the unexpected star of an auction...
Philosophy
A Sneetch is a Sneetch
In The Sneetches, Dr. Seuss creates a society with a two-tiered caste system. Star-bellied sneetches are socially dominant and plain-bellied sneetches are oppressed. Enter Sylvester McMonkey McBean. McBean has a machine that will put a star on a plain-belly, making it indistinguihsable from the biologically star-bellied. Thus, for $3 each, the plain-bellies are offered social advancement.
The genetically-endowed star-bellies are horrified at having lost their class indicator, but assert that the distinction still exists; they are still, they claim, the best sneetches on beaches. McBean then shows him his abilities to remove belly-stars thus re-establishing an easily observable distinction between upper and lower class. For $10, the star-bellies can once again be different from the common sneetch of the beach.
This starts, of course, "star wars" -- "in again, out again, round and about again," sneetch fashion changes with the moment. The sneetches spend all of their money trying to make sure that they are in the in-crowd. Once their money is all spent, McBean laughs all the way to the bank.
Now, there is no doubt that the system that oppressed plain-bellied sneetches was morally problematic and the star-bellies who perpetuated it were acting wrongly. But what about McBean? Does profiting from an immoral system make you complicit? If demand for your product or service is based on exclusion that you didn't create, is there anything wrong with providing that good or service? Was McBean liberator or manipulator? And if you happen to liberate while manipulating, does that excuse the manipulation?
- All-star Teams And The Fallacy Of Composition
After the baseball all-star game, I started thinking about critical thinking. I use all-star teams as an example of the fallacy of composition which is the flawed argument that what is true of the parts must also be true of the whole. It is true that...
- Blame It On The Star Sirius--the Dog Days Of Summer
Wikipedia... "The Romans referred to the dog days as die-s canicula-re-s and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius...
- Holiday Gift From Hubble...sharpless 2-106 Or Snow Angel
The bipolar star-forming region, called Sharpless 2-106, or S106 for short, looks like a soaring, celestial snow angel. The outstretched "wings" of the nebula record the contrasting imprint of heat and motion against the backdrop of a colder medium....
- Self Improvement Will Yeild A Swing On A Star And Moonbeams In A Jar
A "pop" tune from the past with stars, moonbeams and pigs. Bing Crosby Peggy Lee and June Christy Would you like to swing on a star Carry moonbeams home in a jar And be better off than you are Or would you rather be a mule? A mule is an animal with...
- Apollo 11 Star Chart Sells For $218k
"Apollo 11 chart fetches astronomical price" Star navigation aid for lunar surface sold at auction for $218,000 July 16th, 2009 The Associated Press NEW YORK - A navigational chart used by Apollo 11 astronauts has become the unexpected star of an auction...