[WikiEN-l] Human dignity

[Jimmy Wales]

Erik Moeller wrote:
> On 7/15/06, Jimmy Wales <jwales at wikia.com> wrote:
>> I would vote "delete, nn - human dignity".  A full explanation would be:
>> For goodness sake, leave the poor woman alone.
> 
> It's a combination of factors, I think

I totally agree with that, to be sure.  What I am asking is whether or
not there is general agreement that *one* legitimate factor to consider
is human dignity, personal privacy, and so on.  I think so, and I think
that most people think so, but I also think that there is a faction who
disagrees, who thinks that we should barrel forward in all cases with
information, so long as we can verify it.

> - Did she actively seek out this publicity, or was it forced on her?
> - Is there an identifiable "cult" surrounding her persona that goes
> beyond narrowly limited demographic or subcultural subsets?
> - Have other publications using reliable processes (not necessarily
> print) picked up the story for some reason other than reprinting it?
> Has it ever transcended the "Offbeat News" section?

Yes.  These are all valid questions, and this sort of question is what I
think saves us from "slippery slope" absurdities like "what George Bush
says he wants personal privacy?"

> Human dignity is one argument among many that can be applicable in
> certain situations. It's not a catch-all.

That's how I see it, too.  It is one factor among many.

--Jimbo

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