Proving What We Already "Know"

[bennyboy]

Any fact of the real world could be considered in a subjective moral system, or in the feelings that contribute to it.

We can consider something subjective all we like, but..if it's a fact of an object, it isn't.  We're just misusing a word.  That's a really good example of a subjectivist claim, actually.  Because we personally misuse a word, we are convinced of x.  

Even feelings themselves might be called objective to a subjective thinker, because they are not really something one controls, and are based on evolutionary motivations that precede humanity-- they are inputs into the moral calculus. You might even argue that all ideas, since they bubble up from parts of the brain to which we don't have direct access, are objective.

And even this is dangerous. People take the targets of feelings as axiomatic. OF COURSE babies are precious little sacraments, that must be protected with our lives. OF COURSE, liberty is a God-given human right (whether you believe in a God or not). OF COURSE, strange old ladies with too many cats who ramble incoherently are agents of Satan and must be burned at the stake.

But today, there are also new "of courses" with which I do not agree.

When I was of an age and appearance (very thin, long hair, pretty face), I met all types of unusual characters from many walks of life-- and the times that they attempted to lure me, drug me, bribe me or otherwise coerce me into all manner of unsavory (and potentially dangerous) activities left quite an impression on me. I learned that if someone seems a little off, they are very likely a LOT off, potentially in ways you don't want to get involved with up close. But if I were to use that real-world knowledge to make decisions about, say, who I would or wouldn't let babysit my grandchildren (not yet, but soon I suppose), then I could be in for a world of hurt-- because people KNOW for sure that every shape, size, color and mode of expression is morally equivalent and that prejudice is the worst possible crime a person can commit.

Here's one to ponder, though-- feelings of distrust exist due to their evolutionary value. Being an open-hearted unconditional lover of all mankind is fine and well, but it doesn't help your genetic fitness when your offspring is rotting face-down in a secluded swamp with a load of jizz up its ass.

/end disconnected random rant