{"id":17696,"date":"2012-06-14T08:50:43","date_gmt":"2012-06-14T12:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=17696"},"modified":"2016-09-23T14:48:36","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T18:48:36","slug":"nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/","title":{"rendered":"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\"\"<\/a>Do you find morning TV\u2019s trademarked mix of anecdotes, musical acts, and human interest stories a little bland? Apparently NBC does, because they\u2019ve found just the thing to get people to notice the Today Show<\/em>: eugenics!<\/p>\n

During a discussion of genetic testing breakthroughs<\/a> on the June 8 show, NBC chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman gushed<\/a> about how great it\u2019ll be when parents can know in advance whether their children are good enough for birth:<\/p>\n

SNYDERMAN: It gives parents a chance to decide whether they\u2019re going to continue that pregnancy or not. This is the science of today. It is running fast into the future. And I think the future will be such that you\u2019ll find out that your child may have a genetic hit. You can fix that genetic problem[.] [\u2026]<\/p>\n

DEUTSCH: But obviously there\u2019s another flip side guys, there\u2019s another flip \u2013 Look, I\u2019m a pro-choice guy, but at the end of the day what\u2019s stopping people, \u201cOh, my son is going to be blonde, I want-\u201d You\u2019ve got to do it for the reasons your talking about, but-<\/p>\n

SNYDERMAN: I get the genetic engineering issue. But the reality is we\u2019ve already jumped out of that with amniocentesis [\u2026] the science is there. The problem is that science goes faster than we have these societal questions. And that\u2019s exactly why we should have these societal questions now.<\/p>\n

GUTHRIE: Do you think it raises ethical issues? I mean a what point, if you have information that your child is going to have a genetic problem, and then you\u2019re posed with the question of whether to go forward with the pregnancy?<\/p>\n

SNYDERMAN: Well, I\u2019m pro-science, so I believe that this is a great way to prevent diseases.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The casual confidence with which Snyderman answered an ethical concern with a simple \u201cI\u2019m pro-science\u201d calls to mind one of my favorite quotes from Alexis de Tocqueville\u2019s landmark Democracy in America<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n

Nearby I see others who, in the name of progress, striving to make man into matter, want to find the useful without occupying themselves with the just, to find science far from beliefs<\/em>, and well-being separated from virtue: these persons are said to be the champions of modern civilization<\/em>, and they insolently put themselves at its head, usurping a place that has been abandoned to them, but from which they are held off by their unworthiness. [Emphasis added.]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s not every day that national television gives us such a direct expression of the mindset Tocqueville feared. She speaks as if being \u201cof today\u201d is an argument for something\u2019s merit, as if science alone can define ethics. With an air of elitist superiority, Nancy Snyderman posits a worldview that is frighteningly simplistic. (And no, lip service to \u201cgetting\u201d the controversy doesn\u2019t cut it when she\u2019s clearly concluded that weeding out the genetically unfit is just hunky-dory.)<\/p>\n

Science can tell us all sorts of incredible things about how the natural world and its contents function; it can tell us very little about what to do with that information. That\u2019s the domain of values – the ends man should have and the obligations and limits he must heed while pursuing them.<\/p>\n

At most, science can give us salient background information to help satisfy our moral pursuits – for instance, if we value human rights, we can consult embryology to figure out whom to categorize<\/a> as human, and if we value health, we can ask doctors how to stay healthy. But science isn\u2019t what tells us to value those things in the first place. No, we adopt those values through different modes of thought, such as religion and philosophy.<\/p>\n

The moral theorizing our society is founded on recognizes this distinction. John Locke\u2019s Second Treatise of Civil Government<\/a><\/em> attempts to glean from nature limits on how people should treat each other, but it can do so only because it presupposes<\/a> that we are \u201c all the workmanship of one omnipotent, and infinitely wise maker\u201d who possesses sole authority over us.<\/p>\n

The man who expressed Locke\u2019s central findings in the Declaration of Independence<\/a>, Thomas Jefferson, understood this concept as well – he wrote<\/a> that however blacks might differ from whites in their physical and mental faculties (a proposition Jefferson found highly dubious), \u201cit is no measure of their rights. Because Sir Isaac Newton was superior to others in understanding, he was not therefore lord of the person or property of others.\u201d (Contrast that with Confederacy Vice President Alexander Stephens, who nearly a century later rationalized secession<\/a> in large part on the claim that whites\u2019 superiority to blacks was on the cutting edge of scientific discovery.)<\/p>\n

Anyone who understands \u201cwhy we should have these societal questions\u201d must also appreciate that the answers can\u2019t be found in a lab. Hiding your support for aborting unfit children behind the \u201cpro-science\u201d label – implying that good science compels acceptance of such a practice – makes a mockery of scientific inquiry by asking of it things it was never meant to answer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hiding your support for aborting unfit children behind the \u201cpro-science\u201d label makes a mockery of scientific inquiry by asking of it things it was never meant to answer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":17731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nNBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science - Live Action News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science - Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hiding your support for aborting unfit children behind the \u201cpro-science\u201d label makes a mockery of scientific inquiry by asking of it things it was never meant to answer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-14T12:50:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-09-23T18:48:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/today.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"272\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Calvin Freiburger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Calvin Freiburger\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Calvin Freiburger\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6eb2bf94c8064b71953ba137bf413c4d\"},\"headline\":\"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-06-14T12:50:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-23T18:48:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/\"},\"wordCount\":858,\"commentCount\":7,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Media\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/\",\"name\":\"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science - Live Action News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-06-14T12:50:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-23T18:48:36+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Live Action News\",\"description\":\"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Live Action\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"width\":701,\"height\":710,\"caption\":\"Live Action\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6eb2bf94c8064b71953ba137bf413c4d\",\"name\":\"Calvin Freiburger\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e27533b6967b0c47cce543ba67e2a7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e27533b6967b0c47cce543ba67e2a7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Calvin Freiburger\"},\"description\":\"Calvin Freiburger is a Wisconsin-based conservative writer and 2011 Hillsdale College graduate, dedicated to the principles of the American Founding\u2014individual liberty, limited government, public virtue, free markets, and strong defense\u2014though he believes no issue is more important than defending the unalienable rights of society\u2019s most vulnerable members. Calvin is an editor and administrator for TheFederalistPapers.org, and his work has appeared on NewsRealBlog.com, PatriotUpdate.com, LifeNews.com, LifeSiteNews.com, RightWisconsin.com, AmericanThinker.com, Stream.org, AmericanClarion.org, and more. Please check out his official website, ConservativeStandards.com. Follow @CalFreiburger\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/calvin-freiburger\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science - Live Action News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science - Live Action News","og_description":"Hiding your support for aborting unfit children behind the \u201cpro-science\u201d label makes a mockery of scientific inquiry by asking of it things it was never meant to answer.","og_url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/","og_site_name":"Live Action News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","article_published_time":"2012-06-14T12:50:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-09-23T18:48:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":"380","height":"272","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/today.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Calvin Freiburger","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@liveaction","twitter_site":"@liveaction","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Calvin Freiburger","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/"},"author":{"name":"Calvin Freiburger","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6eb2bf94c8064b71953ba137bf413c4d"},"headline":"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science","datePublished":"2012-06-14T12:50:43+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-23T18:48:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/"},"wordCount":858,"commentCount":7,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Media"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/","name":"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science - Live Action News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-06-14T12:50:43+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-23T18:48:36+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/nbc-today-displays-the-folly-of-getting-morality-from-science\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NBC Today displays the folly of getting morality from science"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","name":"Live Action News","description":"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization","name":"Live Action","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","width":701,"height":710,"caption":"Live Action"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6eb2bf94c8064b71953ba137bf413c4d","name":"Calvin Freiburger","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e27533b6967b0c47cce543ba67e2a7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e27533b6967b0c47cce543ba67e2a7a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Calvin Freiburger"},"description":"Calvin Freiburger is a Wisconsin-based conservative writer and 2011 Hillsdale College graduate, dedicated to the principles of the American Founding\u2014individual liberty, limited government, public virtue, free markets, and strong defense\u2014though he believes no issue is more important than defending the unalienable rights of society\u2019s most vulnerable members. Calvin is an editor and administrator for TheFederalistPapers.org, and his work has appeared on NewsRealBlog.com, PatriotUpdate.com, LifeNews.com, LifeSiteNews.com, RightWisconsin.com, AmericanThinker.com, Stream.org, AmericanClarion.org, and more. Please check out his official website, ConservativeStandards.com. Follow @CalFreiburger","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/calvin-freiburger\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17696"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17696"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126972,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17696\/revisions\/126972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}