Thursday, September 25, 2008

Cognitive Disability: A Challenge to Moral Philosophy

There was a conference this month entitled Cognitive Disability: A Challenge to Moral Philosophy . It featured among other Peter Singer.

As I reviewed the agenda , It struck me that there wasn't in any shape or form a Neurodiversity viewpoint represented. But I saw this titles

James C. Harris, M.D., Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. A Developmental Perspective on the Emergence of Moral Personhood (abstract)

David Shoemaker, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Bowling Green State University. Responsibility, Agency, and Cognitive Disability (abstract)

As I try to point out many times linking all aspects or forms of autism to disability is a bad idea. By doing that we limit ourselves and how society views us. Do you honestly think people will hire doctors,lawyers,programmers with Cognitive disabilities?? Even in love the movie pumpkin notwith standing, do youthink people will go to their families and friends and say "I fell in love with a great person that is cognitively disabled".

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...

Today I just arranged access for a physically disabled employee.

I got hired after I disclosed being disabled. As a programmer.

Not everyone is prejudiced, and I don't particularly want to work for someone that is.

Getting rid of labels does NOT get rid of prejudice.

Anonymous said...

The link you gave is broken but let me say this, Peter Singer is of the most vile type of human being who believes parents should have the right to kill a child upto 15-18 months old or until they have a sense of self. Your argument will become void once the genetic marker for AS and autism is coded.

Besides, why would I want to surrender to a bigot like Singer which is what your advocating.

An American said...

The link is not broken now ;) thanks!


Also By saying not all autism is disabling is not by any means advocation what Peter singer thinks!! I fully support the goals of asan and adapt. I am not just one of them. Would I be wrong to assume that this guy is the husband of Alison Tepper Singer?

Anonymous said...

Singer is a modern day racial scientist, albeit he happens to be Jewish. Mr. Singer has been banned from speaking in Israel and many German Universities. He is not someone I would ever surrender to by any means. If your autistic, you have a disability according to society and that is the reality. The point is not to run from them but be proud of who you are. Nothing wrong with having a societal disability.

Anonymous said...

Joe, I finally saw the link. The entire idea of this conference really makes me angry and I'm sorry I didn't know about it before it occurred. This is exactly the type of conference autistics should display civil disobedience.

Anonymous said...

Alison Singer and Peter Singer are not maried, nor related.