|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w070702&s=pearl070307
Moral Relativism and "A Mighty Heart"
[New Republic] Judea Pearl - There can be no moral equivalence between those who seek to build a more liberal, tolerant world and those who advocate the annihilation of other faiths, cultures, or states. Thanks to the release of "A Mighty Heart," the movie based on Mariane Pearl's book of the same title, the legacy of my son, Daniel Pearl, is once again receiving attention. Yet the film compares Danny's abduction with Guantanamo and compares al-Qaeda militants with CIA agents. I am concerned that aspects of the movie will play into the hands of professional obscurers of moral clarity. Danny's tragedy demands an end to this logic. There can be no comparison between those who take pride in the killing of an unarmed journalist and those who vow to end such acts - no ifs, ands, or buts. Moral relativism died with Daniel Pearl, in Karachi, on January 31, 2002. There was a time when drawing moral symmetries between two sides of every conflict was a mark of original thinking. Today, it reflects nothing but lazy conformity.