“Why the obsession with making other people happy?”
Not obsessed. Just pointing out the definition of morality. High morality is making yourself and other people happy.
Phillip Huggan: “Or are you claiming such an act is always out of self-interest?”
(D.Bider:) Such acts are. Stuff just is. Real reasons are often unknowable; and if known, would be trivial, technical, mundane.
That’s deep.
“Stuff is. Fitting stuff that happens into a moral framework? A hopeless endeavor for misguided individuals seeking to fulfil the romantic notion that things should make sense.”
To me, there is nothing unintelligible about the ntion that my acts can have consequences. Generally I’m not preachy about it as democracy and ethical investing are appropriate forums to channel my resources towards in Canada. But the flawed line of reasoning that knowledge can never correlate with reality only finds salvation in solipsism, not a very likely scenario IMO. These kinds of reasonings are used by tyrants, for the record (it is god’s will, it is for the national good, etc).
“If we’re going to intervene because a child in Africa is dying of malaria or hunger—both thoroughly natural causes of death—then should we not also intervene when a lion kills an antelope, or a tribe of chimpanzees is slaughtered by their neighbors?”
Natural doesn’t make it good. I’d value the child more highly because his physiology is more known (language and written records help) in how to keep him happy, and more importantly because he could grow up to invent a cure for malaria. Yes, eventually we should intervene by providing the chimps with mechanical dummies to murder, if murder makes them happy. Probably centuries away from that.
It’s nice that you draw the line around at least a group of others, but you seem to be using your own inability to understand Morality as evidence that others who have passed you on the Moral ladder, should come back down. You shouldn’t be so self-conscious about this and certainly shouldn’t be spreading the meme. I don’t understand chemistry well or computer programming at all, but I don’t go loudly proclaiming fake computer programming syntax or claiming that atoms don’t exist, like EY is inciting here and like you are following.
I’m not calling you evil. I’m saying you probably have the capacity to do more good, assuming you are middle class and blowing money on superfluous status-symbol consumer goods. Lobbying for a luxury tax is how I would voice my opinion, a pretty standard avenue I learned from a Macleans magazine back issue. Here, my purpose is to deprogram as many people as possible stuck in a community devoted to increasing longevity, but using means (such as lobbying for the regression of law) that meme-spread promote the opposite.
“Why the obsession with making other people happy?”
Not obsessed. Just pointing out the definition of morality. High morality is making yourself and other people happy.
Phillip Huggan: “Or are you claiming such an act is always out of self-interest?” (D.Bider:) Such acts are. Stuff just is. Real reasons are often unknowable; and if known, would be trivial, technical, mundane.
That’s deep.
“Stuff is. Fitting stuff that happens into a moral framework? A hopeless endeavor for misguided individuals seeking to fulfil the romantic notion that things should make sense.”
To me, there is nothing unintelligible about the ntion that my acts can have consequences. Generally I’m not preachy about it as democracy and ethical investing are appropriate forums to channel my resources towards in Canada. But the flawed line of reasoning that knowledge can never correlate with reality only finds salvation in solipsism, not a very likely scenario IMO. These kinds of reasonings are used by tyrants, for the record (it is god’s will, it is for the national good, etc).
“If we’re going to intervene because a child in Africa is dying of malaria or hunger—both thoroughly natural causes of death—then should we not also intervene when a lion kills an antelope, or a tribe of chimpanzees is slaughtered by their neighbors?”
Natural doesn’t make it good. I’d value the child more highly because his physiology is more known (language and written records help) in how to keep him happy, and more importantly because he could grow up to invent a cure for malaria. Yes, eventually we should intervene by providing the chimps with mechanical dummies to murder, if murder makes them happy. Probably centuries away from that. It’s nice that you draw the line around at least a group of others, but you seem to be using your own inability to understand Morality as evidence that others who have passed you on the Moral ladder, should come back down. You shouldn’t be so self-conscious about this and certainly shouldn’t be spreading the meme. I don’t understand chemistry well or computer programming at all, but I don’t go loudly proclaiming fake computer programming syntax or claiming that atoms don’t exist, like EY is inciting here and like you are following. I’m not calling you evil. I’m saying you probably have the capacity to do more good, assuming you are middle class and blowing money on superfluous status-symbol consumer goods. Lobbying for a luxury tax is how I would voice my opinion, a pretty standard avenue I learned from a Macleans magazine back issue. Here, my purpose is to deprogram as many people as possible stuck in a community devoted to increasing longevity, but using means (such as lobbying for the regression of law) that meme-spread promote the opposite.