To whom it may concern (yes, YOU :-):It seems there's quite some people out there who have decided for some reason or other that I am 'important' in one context or another. So they have taken to monitoring this blog and going after me whenever I say something they find offensive, outrageous, unpalatable, name it. Indeed, bits and pieces from this blog are being used to brief 'higher up' authorities about me. Who are you trying to kid people?
Let me be clear once and for all then about what the purpose of this blog is: It is my personal soap box. I step onto it, wave my hands and rave about XYZ and the universe. Some of the views expressed are reflective and mirror views I also hold professionally. Other views expressed on this blog are kinds of gut reactions to something that irritated me. There is no pretense that every single post is the result of deep philosophical or ethical analysis. Indeed, there's plenty of posts that got nothing to do with my area of expertise (bioethics), such as comments on airport security. In fact, you will even be able to find me fly kinds of test balloons to see how a particular argument goes, and dump it subsequently when I discover that someone shot it down with good reasons.
So, please, you lurkers out there (you know who you are): This is my blog soap box, not a peer reviewed locus of intellectual content. Treat it as such! In case of doubt, check whether I have provided substantive analysis on a given issue in my peer reviewed publications (hey, for crying out loud, even in book chapters!). If I have, go after me (the professional) for what I have said there. If all you can find is a ranting on this blog, take it for what it is, and no more.
Getting off my soap box now.
