Concerning many comments already here that I am not sure which one I should reply to:
Never an argument to warrant violence? Or OK against superintelligences but NO against humans? Do not suppose there’s a sharp line between human and superintelligence situations. To me some of you may well be akin to superintelligences, that I cannot outwit. No absolute line between argument and verbal abuse either, when I think about it. Also, I think I have some examples of dangerous/disgusting arguments—nothing exists, you should die, your consciousness doesn’t exist …
As for whether the rightness of a violent arguments has to do with the physical power of the opponent -
Should you let the moral value of initiating violence depend on whether or not you win?
I say yes, but my idea of moral value is more self-centered. My morals consider others, but I think it’s moral to prefer to survive—not the least because if your moral doesn’t prescribe survival, you will not be here. It’s not as if we help others out of morals and survive out of baser urges. That dichotomy is common in present morals ( think bioethics—if you don’t accept death, you refuse to “open up to higher goals”/live for others) but it’s nonetheless sick. It’s right and moral to want to survive! And thus I decide that while arguments should be free when you are only concerned with truth and rationality, in the case of lots of real situations, it’s more than truth at stake, and you worry for your well-being. Even if you want to keep it at the rational, intellectual level, your opponent may not oblige. And then it would be moral to use violence, but not moral to risk your own life for small arguments, but not because of the value of truth or laws of rationality at all.
Though even then I wish to be more intelligent beforehand in preparation for such a sad event, so that I may be strong and integral enough to know the offending argument without being hurt, and do not have to use violence, or at least ponder their point after the violence safely.
Concerning many comments already here that I am not sure which one I should reply to:
Never an argument to warrant violence? Or OK against superintelligences but NO against humans? Do not suppose there’s a sharp line between human and superintelligence situations. To me some of you may well be akin to superintelligences, that I cannot outwit. No absolute line between argument and verbal abuse either, when I think about it. Also, I think I have some examples of dangerous/disgusting arguments—nothing exists, you should die, your consciousness doesn’t exist …
As for whether the rightness of a violent arguments has to do with the physical power of the opponent -
I say yes, but my idea of moral value is more self-centered. My morals consider others, but I think it’s moral to prefer to survive—not the least because if your moral doesn’t prescribe survival, you will not be here. It’s not as if we help others out of morals and survive out of baser urges. That dichotomy is common in present morals ( think bioethics—if you don’t accept death, you refuse to “open up to higher goals”/live for others) but it’s nonetheless sick. It’s right and moral to want to survive! And thus I decide that while arguments should be free when you are only concerned with truth and rationality, in the case of lots of real situations, it’s more than truth at stake, and you worry for your well-being. Even if you want to keep it at the rational, intellectual level, your opponent may not oblige. And then it would be moral to use violence, but not moral to risk your own life for small arguments, but not because of the value of truth or laws of rationality at all.
Though even then I wish to be more intelligent beforehand in preparation for such a sad event, so that I may be strong and integral enough to know the offending argument without being hurt, and do not have to use violence, or at least ponder their point after the violence safely.