Subject:
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Re: One of my issues (Warning: even wordier than usual)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sun, 18 Nov 2001 20:26:41 GMT
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Viewed:
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1223 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> From where do you (anyone, I guess the Daves especially) think that morality
> comes?
Wow, and I didn't even have to pay him (much) to ask me that :)
Phase I: Desire
Humans have emotions about their state. Very basic. "Happy", "sad".
(Normally I might say "good" or "bad", but that's easily equatable with
morality, so I'll attempt to avoid confusion) Humans also percieve
causality-- action X results in Y. We equate the preceding (causal) action
with the emotional value of the resultant action. Hence, if Y is a "happy"
event, we tend to evaluate action "X" with "happy", even though it's not
directly a "happy" event. Hence, we achieve the fundamental "desire". We
want things so that we can be happy, or avoid being sad.
Phase II: Society
Through experience, we tend to notice other beings that posess similar
qualities to ourselves. For whatever reason, we start to think of these
things as "other selves"; while not being *exactly* like ourselves. That
other kid in daycare is a *lot* like me, our cat is only *kinda* like me, a
bug is only very loosely like me, etc.
Phase III: Morality
We recognize that these "other selves" posess desire, just like we posess
desire. And likewise, we begin to realize that *their* desires have *value*
in the same way that our *own* desires have value.
I would argue that "perfect" morality comes when one views others' desires
*equally* in value to one's own desires. The rest are just specifics
generated by personal preferance, intellect, experience, etc.
Further breakdown of morality I would say comes from a particular person's
balance between the three categories: "charity", "justice", and "selfishness".
Justice: Granting what someone "deserves" (rights). Ex: Bob made some bread.
I want the bread. So does Joe. But neither Joe nor I are entitled to Bob's
bread, via justice.
Charity: Wanting others to be happy. The ultimate in charity, without
regards to selfishness or justice might be: I want to sacrifice my own life
so that Bill Gates gets his ham sandwich delivered to him 11 seconds
earlier, resulting in more happiness for Bill, regardless of my own welfare,
or whether Bill has a right to that extra 11 seconds.
Selfishness: Wanting yourself to be happy. I dunno if I really need to make
an example of this one :)
Anyway, people balance the above in their own ways, and with respect to
different things, based on their own desires, what they think other people
desire, etc.
DaveE
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