Sexual preference

by David Sirkin 15 June 2009; last modified 18 June 2009 In order for sexual reproduction to work in perpetuating a species, several things have to happen. Some of them are related to sexual attraction. First and foremost, the members of the species have to be attracted to each other, and not to the members of… Continue reading Sexual preference

A Surprising Fact About the Economic Impact of Population Growth

By David Sirkin August 1992, revised April 1995 It is widely believed that the economic impact of population growth is much greater in less developed countries than in the wealthy industrialized nations.  After all, the U.S. population growth rate of 1 percent, the highest in the industrialized world, is small compared with the 2 to 3… Continue reading A Surprising Fact About the Economic Impact of Population Growth

Denials

by David Sirkin May 4, 2008 In “The truth about denial” (Newsweek, Aug 13, 2007), Sharon Begley quotes former senator Tim Wirth as saying that the industry-organized efforts to cast doubt on human-caused global warming “patterned what they did after the tobacco industry.” There are other examples of organized efforts to persuade people into denial… Continue reading Denials

Is a fetus a person?

Are you comfortable with your decision to have an abortion? If not, is it because you are concerned that you might be killing a person? What makes a person a person?  Here are two answers to that question, based on different viewpoints. Viewpoint 1 A person comes into being from the moment of conception, because… Continue reading Is a fetus a person?