I think making statements that you believe to be false and intend your audience to believe is morally wrong
I think one of the problems here is that most people just don’t agree with you on that. And given this, your treatment of people who do a thing that you consider wrong, but they do not, is (in their eyes) very not-nice.
The fact is, you could (especially since you’re a deontologist) decide that any old thing is morally wrong. Perhaps looking at one’s watch is morally wrong. Perhaps using the word “moist” is morally wrong. Perhaps wearing green socks is morally wrong. I (that is, someone interacting with you socially) just don’t know. Perhaps your declarations of what is or is not morally wrong make sense to you, but to other people, they just look arbitrary.
And so what it looks like is that you have decided, apparently somewhat arbitrarily, that a thing that most people do regularly is morally wrong; and now you’re declaring that anyone who disagrees with you is a Bad Person, and not even straightforwardly: you’re making insinuations about their character (“sketchy”). This, to observers (or at least, to me), just doesn’t seem very nice or reasonable.
and I don’t think people are under any obligation to tolerate moral wrongs being done to them
Well, in one sense, no is under any obligation to behave decently and reasonably to their fellow humans. It sure would be nice, but if you protest that you don’t have a duty to do, then sure, I won’t argue.
But insofar as anyone does have an “obligation” to behave decently, I think that saying you’re not obligated to refrain from disparaging the character of anyone who violates one of your arbitrary, personal moral rules is, to use a term from your own comments… not welcoming. To say the least. (So, for example, if you decided that wearing green socks is morally wrong, I think I would say that you have an “obligation” to tolerate people wearing green socks around you.)
The fact is, you could (especially since you’re a deontologist) decide that any old thing is morally wrong… Perhaps your declarations of what is or is not morally wrong make sense to you, but to other people, they just look arbitrary.
This is actually not an accusation I’ve had leveled at me before. Consequentialists tend to object to how rigidly I define moral rules, not which ones are on my list. I’m pretty sure this is a strawman.
now you’re declaring that anyone who disagrees with you is a Bad Person, and not even straightforwardly: you’re making insinuations about their character (“sketchy”).
This is just an uncharitable misreading of me. I don’t think I’ll engage you in particular any further on this subject unless you produce a dramatically better understanding of my position.
When people misunderstand or misread what I say — as happens sometimes, a couple of comments to this post being examples — my response is usually an attempt to clarify my position, correct the misreading, etc. Most of the people with whom I have engaged here on LessWrong do similarly.
A response to an alleged misreading that consists of saying “That’s not what I meant; I won’t explain what I meant; and I won’t talk to you about this anymore” is not a particularly honorable discussion tactic. If you think I have misread you — as is, of course, possible — please explain how.
You’re trying to have a conversation on a completely different level from any that interests me. I’m not playing. Please stop trying to paraphrase me, you’re bad at it.
I think one of the problems here is that most people just don’t agree with you on that. And given this, your treatment of people who do a thing that you consider wrong, but they do not, is (in their eyes) very not-nice.
The fact is, you could (especially since you’re a deontologist) decide that any old thing is morally wrong. Perhaps looking at one’s watch is morally wrong. Perhaps using the word “moist” is morally wrong. Perhaps wearing green socks is morally wrong. I (that is, someone interacting with you socially) just don’t know. Perhaps your declarations of what is or is not morally wrong make sense to you, but to other people, they just look arbitrary.
And so what it looks like is that you have decided, apparently somewhat arbitrarily, that a thing that most people do regularly is morally wrong; and now you’re declaring that anyone who disagrees with you is a Bad Person, and not even straightforwardly: you’re making insinuations about their character (“sketchy”). This, to observers (or at least, to me), just doesn’t seem very nice or reasonable.
Well, in one sense, no is under any obligation to behave decently and reasonably to their fellow humans. It sure would be nice, but if you protest that you don’t have a duty to do, then sure, I won’t argue.
But insofar as anyone does have an “obligation” to behave decently, I think that saying you’re not obligated to refrain from disparaging the character of anyone who violates one of your arbitrary, personal moral rules is, to use a term from your own comments… not welcoming. To say the least. (So, for example, if you decided that wearing green socks is morally wrong, I think I would say that you have an “obligation” to tolerate people wearing green socks around you.)
This is actually not an accusation I’ve had leveled at me before. Consequentialists tend to object to how rigidly I define moral rules, not which ones are on my list. I’m pretty sure this is a strawman.
This is just an uncharitable misreading of me. I don’t think I’ll engage you in particular any further on this subject unless you produce a dramatically better understanding of my position.
When people misunderstand or misread what I say — as happens sometimes, a couple of comments to this post being examples — my response is usually an attempt to clarify my position, correct the misreading, etc. Most of the people with whom I have engaged here on LessWrong do similarly.
A response to an alleged misreading that consists of saying “That’s not what I meant; I won’t explain what I meant; and I won’t talk to you about this anymore” is not a particularly honorable discussion tactic. If you think I have misread you — as is, of course, possible — please explain how.
...”Honorable”?
You’re trying to have a conversation on a completely different level from any that interests me. I’m not playing. Please stop trying to paraphrase me, you’re bad at it.