RE: Atheism and vegetarianism
September 1, 2010 at 4:42 pm
(This post was last modified: September 1, 2010 at 4:43 pm by The Omnissiunt One.)
[quote='lrh9' pid='91322' dateline='1283364359']
[quote]It's the only basis for law making. Self interest governs all. The fact that self interest can be maximized in group policy does not make your morality real and agents maximizing the fulfillment of their self interests is by its very definition rational behavior.[/quote]
I'm not sure about this. Killing anyone over the age of seventy would benefit society, and be in our self interest, but there are laws against it nonetheless. Having a slave class of the unintelligent would be to our benefit, but it's illegal. Dealing arms to dodgy people who hurt the citizens in their own country would be to our benefit, but governments generally don't go in for that (though sometimes do, unfortunately). Having no animal cruelty laws whatsoever would be to our benefit, but there are some. Or are all these cases ultimately in our interests?
WHOOO! 400TH POST!!!
[quote]It's the only basis for law making. Self interest governs all. The fact that self interest can be maximized in group policy does not make your morality real and agents maximizing the fulfillment of their self interests is by its very definition rational behavior.[/quote]
I'm not sure about this. Killing anyone over the age of seventy would benefit society, and be in our self interest, but there are laws against it nonetheless. Having a slave class of the unintelligent would be to our benefit, but it's illegal. Dealing arms to dodgy people who hurt the citizens in their own country would be to our benefit, but governments generally don't go in for that (though sometimes do, unfortunately). Having no animal cruelty laws whatsoever would be to our benefit, but there are some. Or are all these cases ultimately in our interests?
WHOOO! 400TH POST!!!
'We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.' H.L. Mencken
'False religion' is the ultimate tautology.
'It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.' Mark Twain
'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.' Abraham Lincoln
'False religion' is the ultimate tautology.
'It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.' Mark Twain
'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.' Abraham Lincoln
