RE: On Moral Authorities
November 10, 2016 at 7:11 am
(This post was last modified: November 10, 2016 at 7:13 am by robvalue.)
I don't know what you mean by being pessimistic. We have to agree on the goals of morality before we can discuss how we can best go about achieving them. If your goals and mine aren't the same, then we can try and convince each other of why one of us should change our mind. Or you can exclude me from the conversation and just talk with people who agree with your goals. The same thing happens every time you further break down the goals, because they are generally going to be extremely complex. Or you can compromise.
There's a difference between individual morality and societal norms. The societal norm need not totally agree with any one individual, but represents a kind of average. Everyone can do their bit to try and move those norms in the direction they think is best. I do so every day. But I don't go around calling myself "correct", because I find the term meaningless in this context. Everyone feels justified regarding their own morality, or else it wouldn't be their morality.
The important point about individual morality is that it's fluid. We couldn't explain it all in detail even if we wanted to, and by the time we'd finished trying, we'd have changed. Day to day and more noticably year to year our value systems will change. Trying to stick to some objective morality will eventually be just fighting yourself. At best you can stick to vague principles.
There's a difference between individual morality and societal norms. The societal norm need not totally agree with any one individual, but represents a kind of average. Everyone can do their bit to try and move those norms in the direction they think is best. I do so every day. But I don't go around calling myself "correct", because I find the term meaningless in this context. Everyone feels justified regarding their own morality, or else it wouldn't be their morality.
The important point about individual morality is that it's fluid. We couldn't explain it all in detail even if we wanted to, and by the time we'd finished trying, we'd have changed. Day to day and more noticably year to year our value systems will change. Trying to stick to some objective morality will eventually be just fighting yourself. At best you can stick to vague principles.
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Index of useful threads and discussions
Index of my best videos
Quickstart guide to the forum