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Mind the gap
Shop talk What he learned in the newsroom Mr. Boffo lays an eggcorn Curse of the mummy's tummy More in Word Watch  |
« More McD's--in fact, double | Main | Talkfest: PKD/LoA » Thursday, March 22, 2007My meta-comments of the dayJosh, great post on Crichton and Gore (and nice line, Al). Were you aware of the back story involving Crichton and Michael Crowley, whose TNR post you linked to? It's quite amazing. Let's just say the phrase "small penis rule" -- a legal term of art-- is involved. And Evan, there was actually breaking news this week, unbelievably enough, on the trolleys-and-moral-philosophy front. In the laboratory, psychologists determined that if you damage a certain part of your brain -- or, I should say, if a part of your brain is already damaged; don't try this at home -- you are much more willing (than a subject without the injury) to push someone onto the tracks, in front of a train, in order to save innocent people further down those tracks. In other words, with this specific injury, the utilitarian part of your brain works just fine (you count the deaths you cause against the deaths saved), but the empathy part (I don't want to kill someone myself!), which causes most people to balk at the "push" part of the equation, is affected. Josh Greene, the psychologist whose work Singer discusses in the Guardian, is quoted as saying the new finding affirms some of his own work. Also, let's not forget that Brainiac, as ever, has been on top of the latest developments in the philosophy of train wrecks.  PREVIOUSLY: Monkey morality Posted by Christopher Shea at 04:57 PM
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