I am soon off to Ghent, where I will be speaking on a panel Saturday morning on whether there can be universal values other than secular ones. I think not. Here are details:
‘Freethinking Women’s Organisation of Oost-Vlaanderen’ has organised a debate on 3 March 2012 in Ghent, Belgium on ‘Can universal values be other than secular values?’ Speakers are: Muslim Feminist Nahed Selim, MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld, and politician Ann Brusseel and campaigner Maryam Namazie. The event begins at 10.00am and will be held at Geuzenhuis gent, Kantienberg 9, 9000 Gent. Here is more information.
Will be back blogging on Sunday.
11 comments
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Konradius
March 2, 2012 at 8:18 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Oh…
You should post these things earlier in advance! Ghent is not too far from here and I’d have liked to see this…
Patrick Rentmeesters
March 2, 2012 at 8:42 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I’m looking forward to meet you, Maryam…
Martyn N Hughes
March 2, 2012 at 11:39 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Have a good time.
piero
March 2, 2012 at 11:12 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Indeed, secular values are the only ones which stand a chance of being universally accepted, because they are rooted in reality. They are rooted in our capacity to suffer, i.e. in our biology, an undeniable fact even for the most extreme fundamentalists.
How can people not see that the most important objective we can think of is to eradicate preventable suffering? Sure, we are not omnipotent: we have not yet found a cure for some diseases, we don’t know how to cure psycosis, but we do know how to cure starvation: it only takes food.
piero
March 2, 2012 at 11:19 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I would recommend Stanislaw Lem’s short story The Seventh Sally, or how Trurl’s own Perfection Led to no Good.
In it, I found one of the most profound statements ever:
If only more people read Lem…
Martyn N Hughes
March 3, 2012 at 10:40 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I’m going to read some Lem. That’s some intriguing piece there.
Don Quijote
March 3, 2012 at 3:17 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Let’s hope that Maryam will be bringing good news. (appologies to Browning)
jalal
March 5, 2012 at 5:22 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You are totally wrong in your ideas.
Universal values are not values denied by one third of populations living on Earth.
Secularism is highly rejected not only by Muslim societies but other religious and non religious communities as well.
Universal values are those values recognized by human being regardless of believes, backgrounds, place of living and social classes. An example can be given as “Justice”, “Law”, “Truth” and some other universal values which are recognized as a whole by all human being everywhere and with no exception.
Your claims, reasoning, discussion and supportive declarations to prove that your values are universal, are themselves a poof that they are not universal. If were so, there was no need you try too hard to prove them so.
good luck
kevinalexander
March 5, 2012 at 9:39 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
jalal, I think I can see where your confusion stems from. When we talk about universal values we mean things that exist in the actual universe, not things that are excreted from the imaginations of fearful primitive people.
One third of populations living on earth, you say.
Damn! We’re making progress.
jalal
March 6, 2012 at 12:29 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
kevinalexander,
If you think that the universe mean just harshly civilized people like you not what you call them primitive ones that still remain one third of world population, then you are finished! No discussion needed and the job is complete! In fact all things are fit all values are universal. But still the question remains: what would be the reason for your hard efforts and severe discussions to prove that your values( already assumed universal) are universal?!
Ha ha ha jammed?!
Kevin Alexander
March 6, 2012 at 2:27 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
?