I think your second point is the most relevant. The subject is the moral equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel, and it just becomes a flamewar between the ignorant and the ones who like to bait and goad them. The rhetoric is far too emotional on either side. Everyone here has his or her mind made up on the subject already, and I despair of ever hearing a new argument raised in the debate. Worst of all, discussing the subject doesn't bring out the best in either camp. People I consider intelligent and objective end up sounding strident and dogmatic. As Daniel Dennett once said (or was it Leo Berg?
), "There's nothing worse than hearing a position you agree with, stated badly."
I think the subject of abortion has the same qualities that make it an impossible issue for a constructive debate. It only lends itself to hysteria, polarization, and scrambling for the moral high ground. I've personally been involved in absolutely futile exchanges of invective disguised as discussions on the question of abortion, and I don't intend to enter into any more.
I'd have the same reaction if we kept having threads started on the subject of racism. It's a valid matter for discussion, but how far would we get before the debate degenerated into name-calling, self-righteousness, and emotionalism?
Adminssimo Hambre
™ Version 4.2
