(September 1, 2018 at 8:20 pm)Khemikal Wrote:(September 1, 2018 at 6:19 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote: 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.
It isn't that I'm against being helpful, kind or merciful. But unlike Kant I prefer when those things flow from human feeling and not a sense of duty. A person who is well brought up is going to care about others. A person devoid of those feelings isn't going to give a damn about duty either. Exhibit A: #45
The pursuit of moral execptionalism is a little unseemly to my way of thinking. It would interfere with a person realizing their potential, a loss for the whole community.
