Subject:
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Re: Goodness of Man? (was: Re: Merry Christmas from the Libertarian Party
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sat, 1 Jan 2000 19:09:04 GMT
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Viewed:
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1538 times
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Jasper Janssen wrote in message <387ab92e.833168838@lugnet.com>...
> On Fri, 31 Dec 1999 07:03:32 GMT, John Neal <johnneal@uswest.net>
> wrote:
>
> > I like a more objective definition because I hate the trend towards • relativism I
> > think we are experiencing these days. If a sociopath considers killing • others
> > good, is it? But if good is objective, from who's perspective? God, who • is by
> > definition, perfect, and therefore the perfect judge of good and evil. • Discerning
> > God's perspective of good is another question, but at least the search for • good
> > extends beyond our mortal and imperfect selves.
> Good isn't objective. What we, society as a whole, consider to be
> "good" is both up for debate in certain areas (I'm specifically _not_
> going to mention ab*rti*n here), and it is no more valid than the
> ideas of other societies, other than possibly by virtue of having
> survived longer (and objective moralists aren't generally too keen on
> defining objective good in terms of Darwinism - are you?).
I think you are just plain wrong. Some societies flourish while others
perish because they have a better grasp of the true nature of good (which I
hold is best viewed objectively). I will leave Darwin out of it.
> The Spartans made a habit of leaving unwanted babies in the mountains,
> alive, to be torn apart by the wolves. They had a short but highly
> successful reign in the first millennium BC. The Romans made a habit
> of slavery, and their empire lasted a thousand years. The Vikings made
> a habit of making blood eagles out of their enemies: cutting open the
> chest, spreading the ribs, and spreading out the guts, lungs, and
> heart on the ground beside them. While they were still alive. They
> were very successful for a few hundred years. The Borgias made a habit
> of political intrigue (and assassinations), which made Venice the most
> powerful city in the western world for a hundred years+. The United
> States made a habit of racial segregration until, historically
> speaking, yesterday, and it made them the most powerful nation on the
> planet. Until the Y2K bug killed it off, of course.
Oh, I missed that.
> All of these societies/people considered what they did to be "good".
And we know that these things weren't good. I think that is better proff
that good should be viewed objectively rather than subjectively. To those
people it was good, to us its bad - that is subjective, and obviously there
view was flawed!
> Are you saying they were all wrong, all the time, but _we_ are
> suddenly right?
Right?! I doubt anyone can compeltey sum up good, but I think some of us
are seeing it more clearly than ever before.
> I realise that this is not a particularly _nice_ thing to say, but
> then, the real world isn't nice.
Aye.
> Jasper
--
Have fun!
John
The Legos you've been dreaming of...
http://www114.pair.com/ig88/lego
my weird Lego site:
http://www114.pair.com/ig88/
"Censorship is yet another tool in the dumbing-down of America
by a power structure that relies on a populace too lazy or ignorant
to think independently." -Vanessa McGrady
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