Gentle, Public Activism: Magnusson's I-75 Project & Sociological...

Don Waisanen at Thick Culture highlighted Norm Magnusson’s I-75 project. The project involves installing historical markers with a primarily political instead of historical message. Some examples: About the project, Magnusson writes: …unlike most artworks on social or political themes, these markers don’t merely speak to the small group of viewers that seek out such work in galleries and museums; instead, they gently insert themselves into the public realm. Waisanen concludes: That the project is as much about the use of wide-open public spaces as it is about the carefully crafted messages speaks volumes about how innovation may best work in our age.

Environmentalism without Veganism: Reasons not to Be Vegan | EcoSalon |... Why the sustainable path may not lead to veganism. For nearly a decade, I was an evangelical vegan – a born-again, plant-powered fundamentalist, resplendent in my animal-rights halo and heavenly faux-fur robes. I fiercely guarded my inflexible morality, never daring to reexamine the orthodoxy’s most illogical presuppositions. Yes, meat is still murder and factory farms still cause animal cruelty and suffering – none of that has changed. Over the past six months, I’ve come to believe that strict dogma is a drag. Below are eight instances where mainstream-vegan doctrine doesn’t stand up to scrutiny: SAD: The Standard American Diet: with its 100-calorie, reduced-fat, Omega-3-fortified, fiber-added, high-protein, low-carb, soybean- and corn-based, triple plastic-wrapped snack-packs – is the cause of this country’s obesity, heart-disease, cancer, and diabetes epidemics. Faux-Flesh Faux-Pas: “Bacon” crisps, fried “chicken,” Teriyaki “beef,” pulled “pork:” I could go on. What are your thoughts?

Morality is a Culturally Conditioned Response The Death of Morality Jesse Prinz argues that the source of our moral inclinations is merely cultural. Suppose you have a moral disagreement with someone, for example, a disagreement about whether it is okay to live in a society where the amount of money you are born with is the primary determinant of how wealthy you will end up. In pursuing this debate, you assume that you are correct about the issue and that your conversation partner is mistaken. Relativism has been widely criticized. Cannibals and Child Brides Morals vary dramatically across time and place. Of course, there are also cross-cultural similarities in morals. Such variation cries out for explanation. Deny variation. Deny that variation matters. Objectivists might reply that progress has clearly been made. Emotions and Inculcation Moral variation is best explained by assuming that morality, unlike science, is not based on reason or observation. Recent research in psychology supports this conjecture. © Prof.

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