arndt@lymph.DEC (11/27/84)
Andy: Can you explain to me why you are not caught in your own web? That is, you set out rules on who to tolerate and who not to tolerate. But why should we follow YOUR rules? "those who hurt only themselves are ok or those who hurt others are not" I mean who are YOU to say what is right and what is wrong? You God? You got the bomb? You got 51% on your side? Where DO morals come from? You seem to be saying you can tell but why THOSE morals and not others? Nature seems to say it's ok to hurt others in the effort to survive, doesn't it? Is Nature a source of values? Is reason? Is wishes? Is Tradition? Is Andy Banta? Sounds to me like you throw out God with the bath water but want to keep the "Christian", etc. "Golden Rule" type jive without anyone's particular religion. I think you have a horse terd for a brain. Another sweet sleeper in Phil.101., Ethics 101, etc. Why don't you be honest and come right out and say that you're making it all up because YOU like it? Either there ARE morals that have value in all times and all cases, "Thou shalt not murder", given by a higher "authority" than us and therefore not subject to our whims and interpretations, or there are not. If there are not then stand back and join the biggest group or grab the sharpestweapon to enforce your ideas because they feel good to you. But to mouth a silly system built on nothing is only fooling yourself. Now yourideas are not unique to you. Others have attempted to build a moral structure in the air. But it lacks a base to stand up to other "pie in the sky" moral systems and ends up with everyone saying, "Who are YOU to say". If only you yonks would look up morals in the Ency. of Phil. or a couple of good texts in the "horrors" library you would see that this is a question that has belabored great minds for a long long time. Some "solutions" have been found wanting and some progress has been made. In any case you sound like you haven't read a thing. (now tell me you are a phil. major) Keep chargin' Ken Arndt