(October 22, 2013 at 9:03 pm)bennyboy Wrote: What if there WERE no social context? What if the entire world died of the not-genkaus disease, and only you were left? Would it make sense to say then that any of your behaviors were moral or immoral? I would say no-- the word "morality" only makes sense when individuals are being considered in a group context.
I would say yes-- in fact, my answer to this question has been yes from the very beginning. That there is no one else left does not mean my life is over as well. I'd still want to live and I'd still want to be happy - as much as I can be given all my loved ones are gone. So yes, my actions towards that goal are moral and those contrary to it are immoral.
(October 22, 2013 at 9:03 pm)bennyboy Wrote: Let's take a case study: a famine and a fruit. There are in the store a dozen people hoping to find some food, and in the store there remains only one measly orange. Now, we can assume that ALL the people want that one orange, and that they all recognize that the others want it as well. So what's the moral response? Give it to the weakest, who is most likely to die of starvation in the near future? Let the strongest take it because he is needed to protect the weaker members of the group? Divide it among all, so that nobody gets enough energy to live another day, but it's "fair?" Should men defer to women, or single people to parents?
Fine, let's consider it. The orange didn't appear there magically - it belongs to the store-owner. The group of people didn't come in there independently and at once, they have, most likely, formed a group for their survival. If the store-owner is around, then he is free to sell the orange to the highest bidder. If there is no store-owner, then it's first-come-first-serve. If the group is together then they should already have a system for survival - depending upon their conditions - and that would tell them to whom the orange goes. Going by your indication that it is a famine, I'd say, give it to the farmer of the bunch, because his survival gives the rest their best chance at survival.
