wex@ittvax.UUCP (Alan Wexelblat) (07/07/83)
First off, let me qualify myself by noting that I am ALAN Wexelblat, since both my brother David, and my father Richard are potential contributors here. Second, let me see if I can qualify my arguments for "\actually/": What I am arguing for is not solipsism (for an interesting anti-solipsist argument read Sartre's Being and Nothingness), rather I am arguing for the 'privacy of the mental.' Why? Because the original claim (which I have lost) seemed to argue for the "quality of life" as a basis for morality. In response, I was trying to make the point that one's quality of life is entirely subjective; since I can't peer into your mind, all I can tell is how happy you *say* you are. This may or may not be a reflection of the actual state of your happiness. In any event, it's a rather shaky foundation for morality, since it is not in any absolute sense quantifiable. My apologies for not making myself clearer earlier. --Alan Wexelblat ittvax!wex or decvax!ucbvax!ittvax!wex@BERKELEY