Xavier Symons
Xavier is currently completing his masters in philosophy at Sydney University. He is also deputy editor of the online bioethics magazine BioEdge (http://www.bioedge.org).
Articles by Xavier Symons
What if we could weed out bad eggs before they hatched
Australian politics is in a mess: backstabbing, corruption, sexting, disloyalty. It’s impossible for party leaders to predict the evil lurking…... Read more
Tony 2.0 might need to iron out some glitches
Meet Tony Abbott 2.0. He’s a modern, sensitive guy. A family guy. A liberal Catholic. He cares for women. He’s…... Read more
Banning confession does nothing to protect kids
Politicians and social commentators were up in arms this week over the Catholic sacrament of confession. In a furious media…... Read more
Peter Singer doesn’t deserve an Order of Australia
On Monday, Peter Singer added yet another medal to his trophy cabinet – an Order of Australia. He was given…... Read more
The campus spat scaring the life out of liberal democracy
Most people would agree that free speech is worth protecting, even if it leads to despicable Neanderthals standing before a…... Read more
Crummy artist left to pick up the scraps
You can call a controversial comic’s work an ‘artwork’. But this doesn’t change its shocking subject matter. American cartoonist Robert…... Read more
Great rhetoric doesn’t make a great leader
UPDATE: US President Barack Obama has announced that a deal has been signed to raise the debt ceiling, saying “the…... Read more
Q&A is the equivalent of intellectual McNuggets
Mainstream media holds a mirror up to society. If we take a look into that mirror, we see what is…... Read more
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The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Hasbro, go straight to gaol, do not pass go
Tim says:
They should update other things in the game too. Instead of a get out of jail free card, they should have a Dodgy Lawyer card that not only gets you out of jail straight away but also gives you a fat payout in compensation for daring to arrest you in the first place. Instead of getting a hotel when you… [read more]From: A guide to summer festivals especially if you wouldn’t go
Kel says:
If you want a festival for older people or for families alike, get amongst the respectable punters at Bluesfest. A truly amazing festival experience to be had of ALL AGES. And all the young "festivalgoers" usually write themselves off on the first night, only to never hear from them again the rest of… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
