Uninformed criticism
It is important that the Taipei Times — like other international newspapers — publishes conflicting opinions about controversial topics. Readers, but also contributors, might learn from such debates.
However, that is not the case with [Nick Kent’s] letter (June 12, page 6) critically commenting on my op-ed of May 30 (“Missionary positions in Taiwan,” page 8).
In this letter, Mr Kent made several claims; they are either uninformed or wrong.
First, Kent characterizes Nietzsche as a nihilist. He is wrong. Instead, Nietzsche was a diagnostician of nihilism, his whole philosophy being an attack against it.
Kent also thinks I am criticizing Christianity as a Nietzschean disciple who has found the meaning of life in studying his master’s philosophy.
Well, I am grateful to learn more about my life from Kent, and I hope he continues to enlighten me in the future with further precious insights about myself.
Third, Kent thinks that spiritual education (“meaning of life”) should also be considered within academic teaching. Apparently, Kent confuses academic training with solving private problems.
Kent also thinks that I, in a nutshell, think that “children around the world die of hunger, therefore God is dead.”
However, what I said is that believers in an almighty and all-benevolent god must explain the death of several million children each year. That is very different. Besides: Where is the answer?
Next, Kent accuses me of hypocrisy when distinguishing between making people think and making people think like you — which is apparently what I want when making public statements.
Kent confuses teaching (going after ideas and facts) with soul-fishing (going after people). Most teachers, I am sure, understand what I am talking about.
The last point deserves some elaboration: Kent mentions the many positive contributions that missionaries have made in Taiwan.
True, missionaries have done some good things in Taiwan — which, by the way, does not mean they could not have done harmful things at the same time. Who denies this? But why not help others just for the sake of helping others? You do not need the Bible and Jesus if you want to do good. Just do it.
You diminish the moral value of an action if you expect personal gains in return or if you follow commandments given by others.
This moral attitude — expecting, for instance, to be rewarded with eternal life, or pleasing granddad — is a tit-for-tat strategy, its technical name being reciprocal altruism, shared, among others, by vampire bats, prisoners facing dilemmas and missionaries.
I think we can do better.
One more thing. Missionaries devote their life to converting non-Christians; obviously, they do not respect the way they are. They want to change them wherever they are, manipulate their lives until their prey thinks, acts and prays like them. This utter disrespect for people who are different is really not nice.
Being on the nerves of so many who do not wish to be talked to; a permanent readiness to brainwash others who do not think like them in crucial aspects; betting one’s life on fictional stories without any evidence; and, on top of it, taking money for all that — these are, in my view, ingredients of a failed life.
Herbert Hanreich
Kaohsiung
Stereotypes about gay men
In a response to protect human rights, the policy is to be amended to allow gay men to donate blood (“Minister defends allowing gay men to donate blood,” June 14, page 3).
The Taiwan Lily Justice Association said its passing would jeopardize public safety, citing the high percentage of reported HIV cases that were men who had unprotected sex with other men.
Therefore, they thought the proposed amendment should be rejected by the Executive Yuan.
Although based on a concern for public safety, the association’s claim appears inappropriate. It does not satisfy procedural justice.
Infringing the human rights of gay men cannot be a fundamental way of preventing the public from being exposed to the risk of HIV; it is just burying our heads in the sand.
We need to ensure that screening methods have 100 percent accuracy, and that the bill includes other complementary measures, such as compensating those who infected with HIV through blood transfusions.
Just as Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) has pointed out, HIV infection is not just limited to gay men, but anyone having unprotected sex.
Gay men, in this particular case, should not be stigmatized based on their gender identity.
The passing of this amendment needs to be premised on whether nucleic acid testing functions well; otherwise, it will raise far more health concerns for people.
However, depriving gay men of their right to donate blood is totally unfair. If the bill is rejected because gay men seem to have a high potential for carrying HIV, this would again shut them out of our society.
Amy Lin
Taipei
With escalating US-China competition and mutual distrust, the trend of supply chain “friend shoring” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fragmentation of the world into rival geopolitical blocs, many analysts and policymakers worry the world is retreating into a new cold war — a world of trade bifurcation, protectionism and deglobalization. The world is in a new cold war, said Robin Niblett, former director of the London-based think tank Chatham House. Niblett said he sees the US and China slowly reaching a modus vivendi, but it might take time. The two great powers appear to be “reversing carefully
As China steps up a campaign to diplomatically isolate and squeeze Taiwan, it has become more imperative than ever that Taipei play a greater role internationally with the support of the democratic world. To help safeguard its autonomous status, Taiwan needs to go beyond bolstering its defenses with weapons like anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. With the help of its international backers, it must also expand its diplomatic footprint globally. But are Taiwan’s foreign friends willing to translate their rhetoric into action by helping Taipei carve out more international space for itself? Beating back China’s effort to turn Taiwan into an international pariah
Typhoon Krathon made landfall in southwestern Taiwan last week, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and flooding, cutting power to more than 170,000 homes and water supply to more than 400,000 homes, and leading to more than 600 injuries and four deaths. Due to the typhoon, schools and offices across the nation were ordered to close for two to four days, stirring up familiar controversies over whether local governments’ decisions to call typhoon days were appropriate. The typhoon’s center made landfall in Kaohsiung’s Siaogang District (小港) at noon on Thursday, but it weakened into a tropical depression early on Friday, and its structure
Since the end of the Cold War, the US-China espionage battle has arguably become the largest on Earth. Spying on China is vital for the US, as China’s growing military and technological capabilities pose direct challenges to its interests, especially in defending Taiwan and maintaining security in the Indo-Pacific. Intelligence gathering helps the US counter Chinese aggression, stay ahead of threats and safeguard not only its own security, but also the stability of global trade routes. Unchecked Chinese expansion could destabilize the region and have far-reaching global consequences. In recent years, spying on China has become increasingly difficult for the US
RSS