Letter: Bundles of dignity
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Paul Vallely (Spirit of the Age, 28 November) quotes Ian Markham as saying that "If ultimately humans are nothing more than complex bundles of atoms emerging from a blind and irrational process and facing extinction when we die, then it is difficult to see how we can affirm the inherent dignity of people."
Nonsense. As I see it, it is precisely because of us having emerged from this "blind and irrational" process, which underlines our uniqueness and the rarity of the phenomenon of life itself in our vast universe, that we can grant ourselves this "inherent" dignity.
Contrarily, I see no dignity conferred upon humanity by the belief that we were created by some divinity who needed someone to worship him.
MICHAEL WRIST-KNUDSEN
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments