Rationale: Monthly digest for August

Published: Wed, 08/31/22

Welcome to the monthly digest for August

Hi ,

During August, Ian Robinson argued the case for taxation, Jane Morris outlined the next fight for voluntary assisted dying advocates, and Holly Lawford-Smith considered the conflict over privilege and disadvantage in leftist politics.

Also, we joined with Humanists Australia in publishing Jessica McDonald's important piece on the plight of Nigerian humanist Mubarak Bala, who has been sentenced to 24 years for blasphemy.

If you’re enjoying reading Rationale, you can support the magazine and gain full access by signing up as a member of the Rationalist Society of Australia.

If you’d like to send a Letter to the Editor or submit an article for publication, please contact me via editor@rationalist.com.au.

Si Gladman
Editor

Highlights from Rationale

Sex, gender and identity: Science or politics?

By Gary Bakker

In my previous article for Rationale, titled Sex, gender and identity: It’s complicated, I described some of the complexities around people’s sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). I felt there was a need for such an article because it seemed to me that all of the recent pronouncements on the topic were coming from just two extreme and irreconcilable positions. The two sides oversimplify the issues and ignore the science.

Read the full article

New dangers in a familiar debt crisis

By David James

Debt crises are as old as civilisation itself. The reason is simple. Compound interest increases geometrically, whereas economic activity only increases arithmetically. So over time the debt accumulates faster than the economy and becomes too large to be serviced. The system starts to fall apart. The current debt crisis facing the world economy is, thus, not unusual, although it is perhaps the first time it is truly global. Nevertheless, there is a crisis.

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MBJ's view on current affairs

See all of MBJ's recent work

The conflict over privilege and disadvantage in leftist politics

By Holly Lawford-Smith

The latest in a series of intra-left conflicts turns on the decision to bar male athletes from competition in the female category in both swimming and rugby league – regardless of their gender identity or gender expression. This issue has been in the Australian public consciousness since the recent election, due to the public vilification of Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who had previously run the organisation Save Women’s Sport, campaigning for the right to single-sex sport for women. Sport is just one part of a much bigger picture arising out of clashing approaches to sex and gender.

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How tax phobia cramps our future

By Ian Robinson

For many years, Australian governments with a vision for the nation have been hamstrung in their ability to fully realise their – and our – ambitions by a reluctance to confront head-on the great falsehood that haunts our political conversation. This is the patent untruth that you can both reduce taxation and increase government spending on essential services at the same time. The only politician who was honest enough to call this out was Bill Shorten, and he was crucified at the ballot box.

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Telehealth: The next fight for assisted dying advocates

By Jane Morris

In November 2017 the Victorian parliament passed the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2017. Following the implementation of the practice in June 2019, it was suggested that voluntary assisted dying (VAD) was a form of suicide and, as such, the interpretation of Commonwealth laws might prevent use of carriage services for VAD consultations. Victorian doctors were specifically instructed by the state’s health minister that they were not to use a carriage service during the provision of VAD services.

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The case of Mubarak Bala – and Australia’s opportunity to do more

By Jessica McDonald

Mubarak’s case is seen as an example of a clampdown on voices judged to be critical of religious orthodoxy in a deeply conservative region. But his case is not the first time that humanists and the non-religious have been punished, detained and tortured under regimes which fail to protect their basic rights and freedoms, and it won’t be the last. There are a number of previous haunting cases of humanists and the non-religious being detained, tortured, and even threatened with death throughout the world. Australia, as a middle power and an increasingly secular nation, should do more to protect these vulnerable people from the plight they face.

Read the full article

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