RE: Morality
June 13, 2013 at 2:58 am
(This post was last modified: June 13, 2013 at 2:59 am by crud.)
BF Skinner... from what I know...
stated that we are merely just pieces of matter completey determined by our environments, all moral values are simply our "programming".. And therefor freedom and dignity mean nothing, and should be replaced with control to assert order - He seems much like Stalin to me.
But if naturalism is true, and all morals values are subjective.. then his views seem like the rational thing to do.
The distinction between authoritarian religion(your big brother metaphor) and some type of "god" within our consciousness, that we can choose to align with(your little Buddha metaphor) needs to be made.
"Isn't the ideal a representation of what one wants? So, paradoxically, removing the ideal brings one closer to being the ideal. It is in the absence of alienation that one acts morally and it is the ideal that is creating the alienation.
Let's say your ideal is someone who is peaceful and wise. Plenty of people don't act peaceful and wise, which can be disturbing and that disturbance can lead to unwise responses to their behavior. But what if people don't have to be peaceful or wise; how can their behavior disturb you?"
My answer to this is also paradoxical;
Accepting both yourself, and the world the way they are, is very important!... contentment
By this in now way means, that we should not aspire to improve/evolve, both as individuals and society.
^@ whatever76
stated that we are merely just pieces of matter completey determined by our environments, all moral values are simply our "programming".. And therefor freedom and dignity mean nothing, and should be replaced with control to assert order - He seems much like Stalin to me.
But if naturalism is true, and all morals values are subjective.. then his views seem like the rational thing to do.
The distinction between authoritarian religion(your big brother metaphor) and some type of "god" within our consciousness, that we can choose to align with(your little Buddha metaphor) needs to be made.
"Isn't the ideal a representation of what one wants? So, paradoxically, removing the ideal brings one closer to being the ideal. It is in the absence of alienation that one acts morally and it is the ideal that is creating the alienation.
Let's say your ideal is someone who is peaceful and wise. Plenty of people don't act peaceful and wise, which can be disturbing and that disturbance can lead to unwise responses to their behavior. But what if people don't have to be peaceful or wise; how can their behavior disturb you?"
My answer to this is also paradoxical;
Accepting both yourself, and the world the way they are, is very important!... contentment
By this in now way means, that we should not aspire to improve/evolve, both as individuals and society.
^@ whatever76
