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by alexey-salmin 740 days ago
If dolphins could communicate with us they would surely tell how much easier it is when you have ultrasonic hearing. All humans are therefore disabled and in need of fixing.

Or maybe not, if dolphins turn to be wiser than an average human.
1 comments
sweezyjeezy 740 days ago
If all humans could echo-locate except a subset who couldn't, I would say that group is at a small disadvantage, yes, because the set of things the main group can do is 'objectively' greater. I don't know how relevant it would be for us especially in the daytime, but hey.
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alexey-salmin 740 days ago
I agree. However, whether all kids should receive gene therapy to develop the echo-location once the science allows for that is a more nuanced question.
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geraldwhen 740 days ago
If most buildings lacked light because the vast majority just echolocated, then the those unable would be disabled.

It is okay for there to be a normal human experience, and define inability to participate as a disability.

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alexey-salmin 740 days ago
> It is okay for there to be a normal human experience, and define inability to participate as a disability.

That's what most people normally do, yes. Then many people out there define an "ability to enjoy hetero sex" as a "normal human experience" and therefore see gayness as a disability that needs a cure.

I'm not arguing about the conclusion here, but about the method and the basis for deriving this conclusion.

The initial comment in this thread declared deafness to be an "actual defect" while gayness "is just people being inherently gay". Such division is completely arbitrary and doesn't follow from any law of nature. Only from current societal views which change a lot with time.

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sweezyjeezy 740 days ago
> doesn't follow from any law of nature

Natural selection gave us hearing.

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alexey-salmin 739 days ago
Right, and it also gave us a strong desire for the opposite sex. So if you draw the line based on this principle then gayness and deafness will fall on the same side of this line, whichever side it is.

Hence I write that the initial comment making the distinction between gayness being obviously OK and deafness being obviously not OK, look arbitrary to me. This division is cultural.

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