Litany of ignorance
Eric Bahrt in his March 19 letter, "Killing in the name", is confused about what atheists say morality might be, falsely assuming it means nihilism.
This is not true. Whatever might provide a foundation for healthy morals, it cannot be the word of non-existent gods arrogantly deeming themselves infallible, whether Zeus, Yahweh, Sekmet, Ares, Allah, Jesus, Kali or Santa Claus. It is equating morality with the words of their own god or gods that gives the religiously zealous an excuse to kill and commit other evil in the names of those gods while perversely calling their evil a campaign of good morals, exactly as communists and other other secular religions kill in the name of ideological purity to their unfounded beliefs about the world and morality.
Finally, the honest and moral answer to Eric's question about the force behind nature is that we do not know. Science is making slow and steady progress, but an honest admission of ignorance is a good thing: people do not kill in the name of what they admit not knowing. Fake claims of infallible omniscience are again the preserve of fanatical religious hubris that has not the moral honesty to admit both ignorance and error.
Any human institution of moral worth must be able to produce its long list of past errors and current litany of ignorance. To pretend otherwise is proof of dangerous dishonesty.
Felix Qui
Cheating doctors
Re: "Blatant school bribes", (PostBag, March 16).
The college admissions scandal in the US should make everyone furious indeed. Remember the old Esquire magazine photo of former American President Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon with the caption, "Would you buy a used car from this man?" The question now remains whether to trust graduates from American medical schools and other faculties that produce health care workers. Would you entrust your treatment to a doctor or nurse who hung up an impressive, prestigious medical diploma but cheated on exams?
Jack Gilead
Kudos to cabbie artist
It was like a breath of fresh air, if that is possible in Bangkok, to see that a motorcycle taxi driver was exhibiting his photographs in an art gallery (BP, March 17).
Exhibits in most contemporary art galleries are usually provided by a certain class of art school graduates whose artistic pretensions have been subsidised by the bank of mum and dad. This wasn't the case with Phichai Kaewvichit, the motorcycle taxi driver.
So let's go and see this guy's stuff at the Silpa Bhirasri National Museum on Ratchathewi Road.
Barry Knott
Finally sentenced
Premchai Karnasuta was finally sentenced to 16 months in prison for involvement in the poaching group that killed a rare black leopard.
Lucky for him he was not charged with anything serious like picking mushrooms.
Phil Cox
Contact: Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Road Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110 fax: +02 6164000 Email: postbag@bangkokpost.co.th
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