On 19-Nov-11 18:28:27, Bob Hughes wrote:
> At 18:05 +0000 19/11/11, Socialist Health Association wrote:
>>There is also a more profound problem. If Steven Hawking can
>>hold down a job, what does incapable of work mean?
>
> It means: it depends on the job.
>
> Steven Hawking loves his work.
>
> Bob Hughes
And not only that! For one thing, to some extent he defines
his job.
But, more importantly, before he became seriously disabled
his quality was widely recognised. And, since his condition
worsened, friends and colleagues, his wife, and attendants have
always been on hand to assist him; and colleagues and research
students have sat by him and made notes when he spoke the
results of his thoughts (later using his celebrated speech
synthesiser). His Department modified their building in order
to afford him easy access and movement within. And so on.
In short, Hawking has not been short of all the help from
others that he might have needed to do his job. And there
have been many of these others.
This is a totally different situation from that of the man
in a wheelchair from a housing estate.
I have absolutely no objection to all the help that Hawking
has had -- indeed, I'm very happy that it has been given.
But it makes invalid as a "baseline" for "incapable of work"
in the ordinary world!!
Best wishes to all,
Ted.
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E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[log in to unmask]>
Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861
Date: 19-Nov-11 Time: 19:09:34
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