(September 22, 2016 at 8:41 am)Losty Wrote:(September 22, 2016 at 8:36 am)Excited Penguin Wrote: I was criticizing the analogy, not the example you used in it. It was too extreme. And it wasn't helpful at all, IMO. We can't all stop being nice. We can't tell whether we'll be those few cases out of a hundred that screw something up despite their good intentions.
Mr. Understanding...
Oh, boy.
Well then you clearly missed the point of the analogy. I don't think anyone should stop being nice, I think people should start being smart. There are more important things in life than wanting to help people (especially people who haven't asked for help) and I would wager that thinking your actions through before doing them is one.
If someone's standing at the edge of a cliff be smart enough not to slap a mosquito off their back. It might have been nice if it wasn't so stupid.
You can't just start "being smart". People are already as smart as they could be. I really doubt it that there are more important things in life than wanting to help other people - it's what keeps society going.
I seriously can't think of any cases right now where good intentions hurt. They are almost always welcome and helpful. The more, the better. It's genuinely hard to screw up with a good intention.
For example, I have nothing but good intentions towards you right now. I find it hard to believe that counts for nothing.
But if you're willing to diminish it so much by comparing it to slapping a mosquito, go right ahead.
