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Re: The Merit ThreadFrom: .freeform.
Subject: General
Date/Time 2005-12-04 19:31:19
Remote IP: 217.155.34.174
Message>Am I being too simplistic here?<
A little lol.
I dont subscribe to the good/bad either/or aristotelian world view. I'm not worried about it and I dont tend to think whether what I'm doing is good or bad - I just do it. I believe that good/bad is completely relative, and so makes absolutely no sense to think in those terms.
>In your Shipman example you were trying to judge a man's actions by some, as you put it, "Aristotelian measure" - but this isn't necessary.<
What I was trying to point out here was the relative nature of this whole good/bad phenomenon. From Shipman's point of view what he did was good, from the point of view of the legal system what he did was bad.
>It is a question of noting how you feel, that's all.<
So if Shipman felt good about what he did, does that mean he got good merit?
Another example that would illustrate the same point would be the case of the suicide bombers. From their point of view they are doing a very good deed, from the point of view of the people injured by suicide bombers they are doing something very 'bad'. So would the suicide bomber get merit or not? (I'm pointing out the contradictions inherent in this merit system, as I understand it currently - that's why I'm asking for further clarification).
>When it comes time to act, simply act as best you can and again note how the result feels.<
That's pretty much how i do it - although i never think whether what I'm doing is good/bad. I remember once, while traveling on the underground I offered my seat to an elderly lady - who got really angry for some reason. So it's again about 'points of view' - from my point of view what i did was helpfull - from the lady's point of view what i did demeaned her self image.
>The "objective measure" doesn't exist in the way you are concerned about<
that's exactly what I'm trying to point out. However, it seems to me that the merit thing cant operate without this 'objective' measure - I'd like to be proven wrong if possible.
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