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Author Topic:   God is evil if He has miracles and does not use them.
New Cat's Eye
Inactive Member


Message 286 of 390 (753390)
03-19-2015 2:12 PM
Reply to: Message 284 by Stile
03-19-2015 2:04 PM


Re: Society vs. Individual
I've said many times that my system says that the people affected by the actions get to decide if it's good or bad.
I'm the victim of you not giving me all of your money and it is causing me great suffering.
The moral thing for you to do would be to give me all your money.
You're not a jerk, right?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 284 by Stile, posted 03-19-2015 2:04 PM Stile has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 287 by Stile, posted 03-19-2015 2:56 PM New Cat's Eye has not replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 287 of 390 (753399)
03-19-2015 2:56 PM
Reply to: Message 286 by New Cat's Eye
03-19-2015 2:12 PM


All your money
Cat Sci writes:
I'm the victim of you not giving me all of your money and it is causing me great suffering.
I've thought about this kind of scenario a lot, actually. It can be seen as a silly point, but I think it has a lot of nuances to it that may help to explain my stance.
I have two ways of looking at it. I don't really "split them up" so much as I "consider them both" at the same time:
quote:
Me "not giving you all my money" is not an action, it is inaction.
That's not to say "it's not bad"... just to say it's more "not applicable" to a moral judgment.
Granted, all this started on my issues with God's inaction in the face of evil. So it's kind of confusing..
But, God's inaction is in the face of other actions (say, rape).
My inaction is not in the face of any other actions. I'm just not doing something you want. That's the end of the line.
There's a difference there that should be recognized on some level.
And another, more important, way:
quote:
Yes, you are the judge of this "idea" (action, whatever..) so you do get to decide that it's good or bad. So, yes, I'm being bad to you by not giving my money to you.
Now, should I give you my money?
Well, I have limited money, giving you my money has consequences... my family could die because I can't provide for them, that would be bad to them (pretty sure I can assume that one).
So, now I have to decide between being bad to you, and being bad to my family.
I choose my family over you, and decide that I'm okay with being bad to you.
My "justification" for being bad to you is that I want to provide for my own family (or myself... if we're talking general and "I" don't have a family..).
And with the justification... society can decide as a group on the punishment. If we're going to jail those who do not give their money to others on their say-so... then I'm not sure if we're going to last as a society and I'll move to another country (If I'm not in jail...).
Notice that the justification doesn't make the action-to-you "not bad." It's still bad, I just have other things prioritized.
These other prioritizations can even be observed objectively (by seeing who I choose and don't choose to give my money to).
As I said, I usually keep both in mind... but I think the second idea shows more of the nuances of the system I have in mind. We all have to make choices in life, and it's impossible to keep everyone we involve ourselves with happy. However, I think it's important not to down-play other people's feelings.
If you feel bad that I don't give you all my money... I think this should be recognized. I don't think I should be able to say "that's not a bad thing to you!" just because I don't want it to be or have other reasons or excuses (regardless of how "valid" they are). I think your feelings are just as valid as anyone else's feelings and shouldn't be able to be dismissed.
I may accept them, consider them, and choose to ignore them anyway... but at least I went through the process of accepting, considering and then ignoring instead of simply jumping to ignoring in the first place. I think that's the important difference I'm trying to emphasize by using this system.
If I just said "that's retarded" and ignored you... on some level that downplays your feelings as a human being. It basically says "I know better than you, in an absolute sense, and therefore I judge myself to be arbiter of what's right/wrong and pronounce you to be stupid."
Granted, in this simple situation, that's kind of true... but you can't apply that sort of system to other more-complicated issues. My system does produce a valid answer for this, it works in practice and can work for more serious issues as well. Having a consistent, practical, available, usable system for figuring out right/wrong is an important aspect in the human day-to-day life... and one I don't think that many people have.
Many people simply jump to the "I know the answer to this one!" and fail to go through the process. Fail to consider other people's feelings. If you get used to that system... well, I'm sure you know many people who don't care about anyone else's feelings. "Failing to consider" is different from "considering, but not agreeing because of x, y, z...." The entire point of my system is to get away from the former, and move towards the latter. I think getting people to consider other people's feelings more often is a desirable thing.
You're not a jerk, right?
Maybe to you, maybe not to someone else. That all depends on what each person thinks
Of course, demanding I give you all my money and getting butt-hurt when I don't may make other people think you're a jerk, if you care about such things...

This message is a reply to:
 Message 286 by New Cat's Eye, posted 03-19-2015 2:12 PM New Cat's Eye has not replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 442 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 288 of 390 (753514)
03-20-2015 11:52 AM
Reply to: Message 284 by Stile
03-19-2015 2:04 PM


Re: Society vs. Individual
Stile writes:
I've also agreed with you that justification is more of a social issue as opposed to an individual one.
But none of that has anything to do with whether or not the gas company making you pay for heat is good or bad.
How can you divorce morality from justification?
Stile writes:
Again, what would your detached, objective observer say about paying for gas being good or bad?
He'd say that in that case the end justifies the means.
Stile writes:
How come you always say your method is better, but can never actually say how or why it's better in any specific situation?
I don't take any credit for any "method". I'm only talking about what is, as opposed to you "method", which isn't.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 284 by Stile, posted 03-19-2015 2:04 PM Stile has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 290 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 10:18 AM ringo has replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 442 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 289 of 390 (753515)
03-20-2015 11:55 AM
Reply to: Message 285 by Stile
03-19-2015 2:09 PM


Re: Just a coffee
Stile writes:
What is the objective, "group endeavor" reason that makes buying a coffee for my friend a good thing that doesn't rely on my friend's feelings about receiving the coffee?
The objective group endeavour doesn't feel obligated to judge every blink of an eye as good or bad.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 285 by Stile, posted 03-19-2015 2:09 PM Stile has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 291 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 10:19 AM ringo has replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 290 of 390 (753894)
03-23-2015 10:18 AM
Reply to: Message 288 by ringo
03-20-2015 11:52 AM


Re: Society vs. Individual
ringo writes:
How can you divorce morality from justification?
I'm not.
I'm divorcing justification from identifying good/bad.
Both are parts of morality.
He'd say that in that case the end justifies the means.
"In that case?" How is that objective? What if some other "objective" observer says that in this case, the ends does not justify the means? How do you, objectively, know which one is correct?
I don't take any credit for any "method". I'm only talking about what is, as opposed to you "method", which isn't.
If you're talking about current popularity, then you're correct.
If you're talking about the best-way-to-do-things, then you're wrong.. as I've shown.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 288 by ringo, posted 03-20-2015 11:52 AM ringo has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 292 by ringo, posted 03-23-2015 12:35 PM Stile has replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 291 of 390 (753895)
03-23-2015 10:19 AM
Reply to: Message 289 by ringo
03-20-2015 11:55 AM


Re: Just a coffee
The objective group endeavour doesn't feel obligated to judge every blink of an eye as good or bad.
They also seem rather useless, as they cannot answer any questions at all about being "objective" or even whether or not actions are good/bad.
What's the point of having them, again?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 289 by ringo, posted 03-20-2015 11:55 AM ringo has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 293 by ringo, posted 03-23-2015 12:37 PM Stile has replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 442 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 292 of 390 (753928)
03-23-2015 12:35 PM
Reply to: Message 290 by Stile
03-23-2015 10:18 AM


Re: Society vs. Individual
Stile writes:
"In that case?" How is that objective?
Objectivity is always on a case-by case basis.
Stile writes:
What if some other "objective" observer says that in this case, the ends does not justify the means?
There's no such thing as "another objective observer". An objective conclusion is based on consensus.
Stile writes:
If you're talking about current popularity, then you're correct.
If you're talking about the best-way-to-do-things, then you're wrong.. as I've shown.
How can you "show" something that's just a woulda/coulda/shoulda fantasy with no basis in reality?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 290 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 10:18 AM Stile has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 294 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 2:11 PM ringo has replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 442 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 293 of 390 (753929)
03-23-2015 12:37 PM
Reply to: Message 291 by Stile
03-23-2015 10:19 AM


Re: Just a coffee
Stile writes:
They also seem rather useless, as they cannot answer any questions at all about being "objective" or even whether or not actions are good/bad.
Since it is their answers about good/bad that we're talking about, you're not making much sense.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 291 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 10:19 AM Stile has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 295 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 2:15 PM ringo has replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 294 of 390 (753943)
03-23-2015 2:11 PM
Reply to: Message 292 by ringo
03-23-2015 12:35 PM


Re: Society vs. Individual
ringo writes:
Objectivity is always on a case-by case basis.
...
There's no such thing as "another objective observer". An objective conclusion is based on consensus.
Objectivity is always based upon some value that can be agreed upon.
A measurement.
I'm just asking for your measurement.
Unless, of course, you're just talking about agreement... popular opinion. Do you really think it's the best idea to have morality decided by popular vote?
There should be a better way. My system proposes a method that is a better way.
How can you "show" something that's just a woulda/coulda/shoulda fantasy with no basis in reality?
You can't.
But I can show my system of morality to you:
Good/bad is decided upon by the person affected by the action.
You can learn how the person was affected by asking them.
Therefore, my system of morality is not a fantasy and does have a basis in reality. Much more than this "objective" system you're proposing where you seem unable to identify any metric whatsoever other than "whatever I think, whenever I choose to think of it."

This message is a reply to:
 Message 292 by ringo, posted 03-23-2015 12:35 PM ringo has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 297 by ringo, posted 03-26-2015 11:50 AM Stile has replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 295 of 390 (753944)
03-23-2015 2:15 PM
Reply to: Message 293 by ringo
03-23-2015 12:37 PM


Re: Just a coffee
ringo writes:
Since it is their answers about good/bad that we're talking about, you're not making much sense.
I think you need to develop this objective system for morality you're attempting to propose.
It doesn't seem based on anything objective, and it when you do make a clear point, it agrees with the system I propose.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 293 by ringo, posted 03-23-2015 12:37 PM ringo has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 298 by ringo, posted 03-26-2015 11:53 AM Stile has replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 18350
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.0


Message 296 of 390 (754102)
03-24-2015 12:36 PM
Reply to: Message 200 by jar
03-02-2015 10:35 AM


Re: GOD--apart from cultural definition
Are you saying eating some Matzo and a sip of Mogen David is communion?
It is symbolically a start. Communion is where His will becomes our will and His thoughts inspire our thoughts. Communion is admittedly about Doing and not simply Being...that much I'll give you. Communion is a common union between His presence and ourselves.
But you never answered my question.
What is the difference between offering someone food and force feeding everyone so as not to exclude anyone?

Saying, "I don't know," is the same as saying, "Maybe."~ZombieRingo
It's easy to see the speck in somebody else's ideas - unless it's blocked by the beam in your own.~Ringo
If a savage stops believing in his wooden god, it does not mean that there is no God only that God is not wooden.(Leo Tolstoy)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 200 by jar, posted 03-02-2015 10:35 AM jar has not replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 442 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 297 of 390 (754395)
03-26-2015 11:50 AM
Reply to: Message 294 by Stile
03-23-2015 2:11 PM


Re: Society vs. Individual
Stile writes:
Do you really think it's the best idea to have morality decided by popular vote?
You keep talking about "the best idea" and I keep talking about reality. In the real world, the "best idea" is the one that prevails. There's no way to rewind history to see if another idea would have been better.
Stile writes:
I can show my system of morality to you:
Good/bad is decided upon by the person affected by the action.
You can learn how the person was affected by asking them.
I can show you another system of morality: Good/bad is decided upon the opinion of the Easter Bunny.
How is your system more realistic than that?
Stile writes:
... this "objective" system you're proposing where you seem unable to identify any metric whatsoever other than "whatever I think, whenever I choose to think of it."
Again, I'm not "proposing" that any more than I'm proposing gravity. I'm describing. That's how morality works, which is why we know it's relative.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 294 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 2:11 PM Stile has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 299 by Stile, posted 03-26-2015 3:01 PM ringo has replied

  
ringo
Member (Idle past 442 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 298 of 390 (754399)
03-26-2015 11:53 AM
Reply to: Message 295 by Stile
03-23-2015 2:15 PM


Re: Just a coffee
Stile writes:
I think you need to develop this objective system for morality you're attempting to propose.
I'm not proposing anything. I'm describing how morality works in the real world.
Society decides what's moral. Victims of the gas company do not have the power to put gas company executives in jail; society does if it decides a wrong has been done.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 295 by Stile, posted 03-23-2015 2:15 PM Stile has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 300 by Stile, posted 03-26-2015 3:04 PM ringo has replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 299 of 390 (754424)
03-26-2015 3:01 PM
Reply to: Message 297 by ringo
03-26-2015 11:50 AM


Re: Society vs. Individual
ringo writes:
You keep talking about "the best idea" and I keep talking about reality. In the real world, the "best idea" is the one that prevails. There's no way to rewind history to see if another idea would have been better.
No one's talking about replacing history.
And of course "the best idea" is the one that prevails.
If you're content with the world the way it is, and don't want to try and get better... that's fine, that's your choice.
But if my idea is better, and does prevail, then you would agree it's actually best?
I can't read the future any better than you can.
ringo writes:
Stile writes:
I can show my system of morality to you:
Good/bad is decided upon by the person affected by the action.
You can learn how the person was affected by asking them.
I can show you another system of morality: Good/bad is decided upon the opinion of the Easter Bunny.
How is your system more realistic than that?
Are you seriously asking me how "people" are more realistic than the Easter Bunny?
Who do you think you're talking to on this forum, even?
I'm describing. That's how morality works, which is why we know it's relative.
And I've never disagreed with such a thing.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 297 by ringo, posted 03-26-2015 11:50 AM ringo has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 301 by ringo, posted 03-27-2015 11:48 AM Stile has replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 300 of 390 (754426)
03-26-2015 3:04 PM
Reply to: Message 298 by ringo
03-26-2015 11:53 AM


Re: Just a coffee
ringo writes:
I'm not proposing anything. I'm describing how morality works in the real world.
No, you're not.
I've asked you to describe it, and you've said it's "objective."
Then I asked you to show how it's objectively good for me to give my friend a coffee.
And you've yet to answer that question.
Really, you're not describing anything. You just keep talking in extremely vague and general statements. Pretty much all of which describe my system of morality.
Victims of the gas company do not have the power to put gas company executives in jail; society does if it decides a wrong has been done.
Never said anything to disagree.
Society decides what's moral.
And again, you're wrong.
Individuals do.
Would you like to go through your slavery example again, or would you like to choose another?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 298 by ringo, posted 03-26-2015 11:53 AM ringo has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 302 by ringo, posted 03-27-2015 11:59 AM Stile has replied

  
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