RE: Law versus morality
September 1, 2018 at 8:20 pm
(This post was last modified: September 1, 2018 at 8:23 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(September 1, 2018 at 6:19 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote:(September 1, 2018 at 5:56 pm)Whateverist Wrote: I agree with this but I think morality should be as minimally intrusive as possible. In the best of all possible worlds people would pursue their interests without dwelling on what anyone ought to do. I prefer that morality as well as the law emphasize what is forbidden over what is praiseworthy. Otherwise we'll all end up sounding like MK.
Interesting that what you say channels Plato. Plato thought that "justice is doing one's work and not meddling with what isn't one's own." It is because of Plato, that I am a moral objectivist in my ethics.
I think morality is an objective thing, wholly separate from one's personal opinions or the opinions of, say, the authors of the Bible. Much like Copernicus figured out that the earth revolves around the sun, we must also figure out morality. Ancient cultures thought that the sun revolved around the Earth. They were wrong. A modern mind with modern knowledge knows otherwise. Ancient cultures thought that slavery and FGM were morally acceptable. They were wrong. A modern mind with modern knowledge knows otherwise. Certain things are obvious. Murder and theft are morally wrong. Both the ancient and the modern mind know this.
That's where notions like duty come in. We have a hard duty not to do harm. It's simply nice when we help. One is a compulsion, the other is elective.
A guy who doesn't do bad things but doesn't help is a moral person, but not a nice guy. Definitely wouldn't want him marrying my daughter, but she could do worse.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
