4 ms·

It didn't "utterly destroy" the quotation. It's pretty easy to argue the virtues of cannibalism, it's just that for modern day society they do not trump the dow

It didn't "utterly destroy" the quotation. It's pretty easy to argue the virtues of cannibalism, it's just that for modern day society they do not trump the downsides. For example, cannibalism has successfully prevented death by starvation (e.g. the Donner Party), and it reduces the need for disposing of the dead. It's an application of reduce-reuse-recycle. Some species of other animals practice it as part of their normal lives (praying mantis as part of mating, lions as a social mechanic). The very obvious counterpoints are that it's completely counter to modern cultural morality and it's been shown to increase likelihood of transferring brain parasites in humans. The fact that you didn't even approach the other side and immediately concluded that he "destroyed the quotation" kinda shows that you aren't making the slightest effort to understand opposing viewpoints.

gfodor 9y ago
Not to mention that implied in the quotation is being able to argue both sides of a contentious issue is important to being able to make a case strongly for the one you agree with. Totally irrelevant for generally settled questions like cannabalism, so the "utter destruction" was anything but.
dvt 9y ago
Small correction: not brain parasites, but specifically prions (misfolded protein that fascinatingly self-replicate). Kuru[1] (closely related to Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and Alzheimer's) was extensively studied last century in the Fore people of Papua New Guinea (which were practicing cannibalism as a funerary rite), culminating in the awarding of the 1997 Nobel Prize[2] for the discovery of the prion, a completely new kind of pathogen. It's a fascinating story! NPR has a great podcast on it. And for what it's worth, I completely agree. I was given two key pieces of advice by two brilliant professors in my undergraduate philosophy career: - Always be as charitable as possible with your opponents' arguments: always assume they are taking the best possible position. - And this goes hand in hand with the above: always be ready for the best possible counter to your own argument, making sure you have an appropriate response. Few arguments are air-tight, especially for controversial issues. [1] http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/06/482952588/when-people-ate-people-a-strange-disease-emerged http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/06/482952588/whe... [2] https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1997/press.html https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1...
- eru 9y ago
  Do you get the prions only from rare meat? Would thorough cooking protect?
  - kleer001 9y ago
    Kuru and CJD reside in the brain meats. Prions are highly resistant to disinfectants, heat, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation and formalin. ... Prions can be destroyed through incineration providing the incinerator can maintain a temperature of 900 F for four hours.
- foobarchu 9y ago
  Thank you, that's exactly what I was referring to. I must have been remembering it wrong.
harry8 9y ago
You don't seem able to argue the other side here... I refuse to name the thing that's impossible to argue for for reasons of good taste, but you know what it is. I hope not from any experience.
- antonvs 9y ago
  Using emacs?

gfodor 9y ago

Not to mention that implied in the quotation is being able to argue both sides of a contentious issue is important to being able to make a case strongly for the one you agree with. Totally irrelevant for generally settled questions like cannabalism, so the "utter destruction" was anything but.

dvt 9y ago

Small correction: not brain parasites, but specifically prions (misfolded protein that fascinatingly self-replicate). Kuru[1] (closely related to Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and Alzheimer's) was extensively studied last century in the Fore people of Papua New Guinea (which were practicing cannibalism as a funerary rite), culminating in the awarding of the 1997 Nobel Prize[2] for the discovery of the prion, a completely new kind of pathogen. It's a fascinating story! NPR has a great podcast on it. And for what it's worth, I completely agree. I was given two key pieces of advice by two brilliant professors in my undergraduate philosophy career: - Always be as charitable as possible with your opponents' arguments: always assume they are taking the best possible position. - And this goes hand in hand with the above: always be ready for the best possible counter to your own argument, making sure you have an appropriate response. Few arguments are air-tight, especially for controversial issues. [1] http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/06/482952588/when-people-ate-people-a-strange-disease-emerged http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/06/482952588/whe... [2] https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1997/press.html https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1...

eru 9y ago
Do you get the prions only from rare meat? Would thorough cooking protect?
- kleer001 9y ago
  Kuru and CJD reside in the brain meats. Prions are highly resistant to disinfectants, heat, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation and formalin. ... Prions can be destroyed through incineration providing the incinerator can maintain a temperature of 900 F for four hours.
foobarchu 9y ago
Thank you, that's exactly what I was referring to. I must have been remembering it wrong.

harry8 9y ago

You don't seem able to argue the other side here... I refuse to name the thing that's impossible to argue for for reasons of good taste, but you know what it is. I hope not from any experience.

antonvs 9y ago
Using emacs?