I think this post would benefit from having at least one real-world example, as well as your fictional example. I can’t tell what actual situations you’re pointing to.
One high-level summary that occurs to me is that “trying to solve problems sometimes makes them worse”—but I think you meant something more specific than that.
I think most of the examples with any juice to them would make the post worse by dint of distraction. Examples relating to moral frontiers we no longer care about might work.
One high-level summary that occurs to me is that “trying to solve problems sometimes makes them worse”—but I think you meant something more specific than that.
Yes.
Consider “value” as meaning “moral value” for convenience in the following scenario: Imagine a straw-environmentalist, who values reduced CO2, and who also values regulation on industry (for its own sake). From this straw perspective, regulations which reduce CO2 are a total win. Supposing you value reducing CO2 and disvalue regulation, this is a trade-off between two values.
With respect to a proposal to regulate CO2, the straw environmentalist is in a position of relative moral privilege to you. In a Democracy, the majority moral position confers a specific privileged position—whereas in a monarchy, those who share the moral values of the monarch may enjoy a specific privileged position, in that their moral values are expressed in society, and they can reasonably expect to not have to make any meaningful trade-offs in terms of their values, and any suggestion of such may seem outrageous from their perspective.
I think this post would benefit from having at least one real-world example, as well as your fictional example. I can’t tell what actual situations you’re pointing to.
One high-level summary that occurs to me is that “trying to solve problems sometimes makes them worse”—but I think you meant something more specific than that.
I think most of the examples with any juice to them would make the post worse by dint of distraction. Examples relating to moral frontiers we no longer care about might work.
Yes.
Consider “value” as meaning “moral value” for convenience in the following scenario: Imagine a straw-environmentalist, who values reduced CO2, and who also values regulation on industry (for its own sake). From this straw perspective, regulations which reduce CO2 are a total win. Supposing you value reducing CO2 and disvalue regulation, this is a trade-off between two values.
With respect to a proposal to regulate CO2, the straw environmentalist is in a position of relative moral privilege to you. In a Democracy, the majority moral position confers a specific privileged position—whereas in a monarchy, those who share the moral values of the monarch may enjoy a specific privileged position, in that their moral values are expressed in society, and they can reasonably expect to not have to make any meaningful trade-offs in terms of their values, and any suggestion of such may seem outrageous from their perspective.