Amitai Etzioni Notes

Small Lies, Big Lies, and Economists

The timing could not be more inappropriate. The United States is finally moving to join all the civilized nations of the world by ceasing to execute people. It still has quite a way to go. So far, most states that still impose the death penalty have recently suspended executions until the Supreme Court rules on whether the ways people are currently 'put down' constitutes a cruel and unusual punishment; that is, whether lethal injection violates the constitution.

Organ Donations, Ad Hominem Attacks

When I recently laid out a communitarian approach to increase organ donations by drawing on new moral appeals, I was subject to a barrage of ad hominem attacks.

Under most conditions I would shrug my shoulders and move on. I have been in public life for many years and have seen people savaged quite regularly. I guess it is a price you pay for not sticking to footnoting in the stacks. However in this case this mode of communication concerns two matters that one should not allow to go by the wayside:

Do We Want a Market in Organs?

I raised this question in the New York Times on February 25^th in reference to a book review. In view of the venomous reaction from those who promote trade in human organs, please note the respect with which I treat those I differ with and the fact that I raised issues, and not attacked persons.