RE: An Argument For Ethical Egoism
June 17, 2019 at 1:39 pm
(This post was last modified: June 17, 2019 at 2:06 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
You think it's possible to work towards one set of problems, but not the other, vulcan (or this much is stated in the comments regarding bolt and hiv). It stands to reason that a competitive runner might imagine winning the race to be the more legitimate possibility between the two. It may be that you're both wrong, that no one ever takes bolts records (or the next guys) and that no one ever solves some significant health problem in africa. It may also be that both are possible.
It's not clear from your assessment that you were really doing any calculus as to which one were more possible than the other, more like moralizing over which is the nobler effort to work towards. Which set of potentially impossible options would, if it were possible, produce the better outcome, the one with "real change". It's unclear why it would be any more possible for a person to win against high school stars than bolt, in any case. I know that I couldn't, but if I felt the obligation to try, what modification would there be on the obligation? It may in fact -be- a high school star that cracks every one of his records. Any of our goals may be improbable, or impossible. Does that change our obligations (if any) or is it just some comment on relative chances of success in fulfilling them?
It may be true that our noblest goals are beyond our abilities, and that some relatively less meaningful endeavor is more attainable. Here again, though, we see that there is no ought-can rule. We do maintain that there are things we should do, that for one reason or another, we may not be able to do. It doesn't seem to lesson our obligations towards their fulfillment. Why do you think we have this intuition?
As another poster asked, why do we think we should try to save this rock, even though we're not certain that it would be possible?
It's not clear from your assessment that you were really doing any calculus as to which one were more possible than the other, more like moralizing over which is the nobler effort to work towards. Which set of potentially impossible options would, if it were possible, produce the better outcome, the one with "real change". It's unclear why it would be any more possible for a person to win against high school stars than bolt, in any case. I know that I couldn't, but if I felt the obligation to try, what modification would there be on the obligation? It may in fact -be- a high school star that cracks every one of his records. Any of our goals may be improbable, or impossible. Does that change our obligations (if any) or is it just some comment on relative chances of success in fulfilling them?
It may be true that our noblest goals are beyond our abilities, and that some relatively less meaningful endeavor is more attainable. Here again, though, we see that there is no ought-can rule. We do maintain that there are things we should do, that for one reason or another, we may not be able to do. It doesn't seem to lesson our obligations towards their fulfillment. Why do you think we have this intuition?
As another poster asked, why do we think we should try to save this rock, even though we're not certain that it would be possible?
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!
