Wise Up Dept.

Some notes on Richard Dawkins and his turning his nose up at the idea of taboos as being antiquarian concepts:

Stumbling and Mumbling: Limits of rationalism

... taboos exist because humans are emotional creatures. We feel upset and disgust, and taboos exist to protect us from such feelings. Introducing rape gratuitously into a public discussion upsets some people unnecessarily. Etiquette dictates that we don't do this ... Anddisgust, like it or not, is the basis for some moral judgments - such...