Do you consider yourself a 'good person'?

Discussion in 'Ethics, Morality, & Justice' started by lixluke, May 20, 2009.

?

Do you consider yourself a good person?

  1. Yes

    20 vote(s)
    62.5%
  2. No

    4 vote(s)
    12.5%
  3. Other

    8 vote(s)
    25.0%
  1. Anti-Flag Pun intended Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    3,714
    That's not what you said though, you're talking about laziness or a preventable incompetence, not the simple aspect of success or failure being the determining factor.
    I'd suggest if a doctor fails frequently he is bad as a doctor, but is probably good at something else as nobody is good or bad at everything and that says nothing of his moral standing as a person. I was under the impression the thread was about morals, not ability. His morals and intent may still be that he wants to help people, unlike someone who desires to hurt them.
    You can think of it as a spectrum, the one's with intent to cause pain and a success of doing so will be the bottom(least good) those with intent to help and a success to do so will be the most good. Now who do you think would rate higher inbetween? The ones with intent to help but who can't, or the one's with intent to hurt but who fail? I don't think those two groups are the same level. That's without mentioning those who could help but don't bother.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s5HMZYwdQo
     
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  3. wynn ˙ Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    15,058
    I asked about why you think that

    I gave the Law as an example. Another example: Someone who has been a friend for a long time, hits you one day. Do you consider his intent or not and call the police?


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    Awww.

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  5. Challenger78 Valued Senior Member

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    7,536
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
     
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  7. Enmos Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    43,184
    I really don't see how it prevents them from being a good person..
     
  8. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    43,184
    So what if you can't know a persons intentions

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    The reason you think a person is good for doing good things is because you ASSUME that they had good intentions doing them.

    wtf ?

    I can't know the answer to that question.

    Good intentions are not a lame excuse at all. Just saying you had good intentions may be though.
    And failing is never a criminal negligence, not even trying is.

    Because if you want to do good and you do everything in your power to realize it but fail you are not a good person ?
    Please !!

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  9. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    43,184
    I don't know what that means. And it being a proverb doesn't mean it's the truth.
     
  10. werzil Banned Banned

    Messages:
    50
    Thinking "I am good" is more encouraging than thinking "I am not good".
    But all persons think both, throughout any lifetime. When life is ending, the person has little time to think about being encouraged, or about how good or bad they were, since all persons are good and bad in lifetime.
    There is only time to be either, and only judgement during lifetime. At the demise, there is not enough time left to be "good or bad", since soon you will be neither.

    This is good, and bad. Death can be bad, but also some "die well", since they accept that being persons they are both.

    To quote movie: "it is inevitable, Mr Anderson"
     
    Last edited: May 23, 2009
  11. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
    Death isn't "bad" it is part of life itself.
     
  12. Challenger78 Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,536
    It means that we're likely to do more harm than good to others, despite our good intentions.
     
  13. MysteriousStranger Banned Banned

    Messages:
    50
    What's a good person? Someone who does what he ought to do rather than what he ought not to do?

    I don't believe there are such things that determine what we should do. There aren't things we should do and things we shouldn't do.

     
    Last edited: May 24, 2009
  14. Enmos Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    43,184
    Ah ok, but I don't agree that doing harm while having good intentions gets you into hell (even if it did exist

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  15. swarm Registered Senior Member

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    4,207
    what I said:
    "A good person is some one who strives to do good and avoid doing ill and is able succeed at this reasonably more than they fail."
    http://www.sciforums.com/showpost.php?p=2260224&postcount=33

    "but is probably good at something else"

    1) We aren't talking about being skilled. We are talking about if you are a bad person if you are an unskilled doctor and continue to practice even though you are harming your patients. I'd say yes.

    2) When its not longer probable and he is doing that instead of being a doctor that's fine ss far as I'm concerned.

    I don't see good/bad as immutable.

    Certainly reality and people are both more complex than just good or bad, but that was the op.
     
  16. swarm Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,207
    A good person is some one who strives to do good and avoid doing ill and is able succeed at this reasonably more than they fail.
    http://www.sciforums.com/showpost.php?p=2260224&postcount=33

    Anybody hits me once or twice under peculiar circumstances is no big deal. Its happened before and will probably happen again.

    Some one who hits me often isn't my friend.

    Where is the cut off point, well it varies but if you are hitting me often enough to worry about it you are over the line already.

    Not being telepathic I don't have access to true intentions and personally I rather hear an apology than a bunch of lame excuses/"intentions."
     
  17. swarm Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,207

    Being sufficiently crazy can prevent you from being good or bad. There is a point where you are just crazy and out of touch. Unfortunately such people can be dangerous because they don't know if they are causing harm to themselves or others, or they perceive and respond to imagined threats.
     
  18. swarm Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,207
    No, I'm evaluating the actions themselves. Reported "intentions" are about useless because people with ill intent lie.

    Some one who consistantly does good things I accept as a good person until evidence to the contrary arrises.

    Some one who consistantly does ill things while claiming "good intentions" I presume is either lying or deluded.

    A good person is some one who strives to do good and avoid doing ill and is able succeed at this reasonably more than they fail.
    http://www.sciforums.com/showpost.php?p=2260224&postcount=33

    A single example isn't enough to draw a sound conclusion.

    So you would vote for Geogre W again?

    Like I said: We all live in a world where circumstances can get beyond our control, but there is also a point where "good intentions" become lame excuses and "failing" becomes criminal negligence.

    If you actually want to do good and you actually do everything in your power to realize it, you will succeed for the most part. If you are consistantly failing and that doesn't result in changes to your behavior, then you aren't actually wanting to do good, you are just saying you are.

    Bottom line, actions speak louder than words.
     
  19. swarm Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,207
    No, it means people use "good intentions" to excuse continued ill behavior instead of correcting it.
     
  20. swarm Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,207
    So basically you don't believe in any morality or social conscious?
     
  21. Enmos Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    43,184
    Well, I'm sorry but just you saying so isn't going to convince me.
    Are you saying that if you trip over a baby and hurt your head on the coffee table the baby is a bad person ?
     
  22. Enmos Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    43,184
    So you accept them as a good person because, from their actions, you assume they must have had good intentions i.e. there is no evidence of malintent.

    Lying: These are bad intentions.
    Deluded: So you deny that a good person can fail at anything ?

    In other words, they have good intentions

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    How does failing impact their status as a person, regarding good and bad ?
    Why do you think they fail ?

    What do you mean "again" ? I'm not even American, and I wouldn't have voted for him if I was.
    Also, I don't see the relevance of that remark.

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    Ignoring what I said and just repeating your own statement doesn't make it true.

    Perhaps you're dumb, inadequate, or retarded even. It doesn't take away that you want to do good and are doing everything in your power to realize it, which makes you a good person.

    And you are actually saying that trying to do good isn't an action ?
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2009
  23. Enmos Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    43,184
    I have no clue what prompted you to take this (rather idiotic) position.
    All I can conclude is that you have a very egocentric view of life, perhaps even solipsistic. Either that, or you are just arguing for the sake of arguing.
     

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