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<dateCreated>Sun, 11 May 2008 00:52:02 GMT</dateCreated>
<dateModified>Sun, 11 May 2008 00:52:03 GMT</dateModified>
<ownerName>Tom Morris</ownerName>
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<outline text="Washington University gives honourary degree to the wicked witch" created="Sun, 11 May 2008 00:52:03 GMT"><outline text="Bad news. &lt;a href=&quot;http://crookedtimber.org/2008/05/08/schlaflys-honorary-degree-a-travesty-of-a-mockery-of-a-sham/&quot;&gt;Crooked Timber&lt;/a&gt; is reporting that Washington University at St. Louis is awarding an honourary degree to &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllis_Schlafly&quot;&gt;Phyllis Schlafly&lt;/a&gt;. The university has defended their decision by stating that she is a &lt;q&gt;significant part of American life during the last half of the 20th century and now the 21st century, serving as a lightning rod for vigorous debate on difficult issues where differences of opinion are profound and passionate&lt;/q&gt;. This is a ridiculous test for giving an honourary degree. Permit me a &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.iep.utm.edu/r/reductio.htm&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;reductio ad absurdum&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&#13;" created="Sun, 11 May 2008 00:52:03 GMT"/><outline text="How many people or groups of people can you think of who are morally reprehensible that served as a 'lightning rod for debate'? I can think of a few without even trying - the Ku Klux Klan certainly were a lightning rod for debate about race relations. Americans probably wouldn't have had such a vigourous discussion of racism and racial equality if there weren't hooded men running around at night leaving flaming crosses and lynching people." created="Sun, 11 May 2008 00:52:03 GMT"/></outline></body>
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