There is no right or wrong, good or bad, only experience

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by ForrestDean, Feb 17, 2019.

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  1. DaveC426913

    DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Nor have I suggested you did claim it.

    If your parents are still in a position of authority over you, then your rebel phase can't have been that much of "a very long time ago" - though I'm sure a year or three can seem a long time when you're young.
     
    DaveC426913, Dec 3, 2019
    #81

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  3. James R

    James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    But previously you tied the idea of hurting somebody to their previous hurting of you. You used the word "revenge". Why didn't you just say at the start that you like to hurt people for fun sometimes, if that's really all there is to it?

    Sure. You could do it just for your own entertainment, for instance, as you say.

    Obviously I got the wrong end of the stick. I assumed that you said you wanted revenge because you perceived some kind of injustice at work. Revenge usually has some idea of "getting even", but getting even requires some notion that something is being balanced up. As a non-believer in objective morality, you must have no concept of justice.

    That's a very good question that has been much debated by philosophers. Most people have a sense that some notions of morality are superior to others. The criteria they use to judge can vary, however. I think it comes down to a question of what we, as people, value. Then comes the important question about why we tend to share certain values (well, most of us, anyway).

    That's a kind of moral view: the view that the powerful get to make the rules for the rest. It's the morality of dictators and tyrants.

    That's a different grounding for morality, sometimes referred to as the "social contract". Much superior to might-makes-right, in my personal opinion.
     
    James R, Dec 4, 2019
    #82

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  5. just me

    just me Registered Senior Member

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    I just misused the word revenge I suppose.
     
    just me, Dec 4, 2019
    #83

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  7. just me

    just me Registered Senior Member

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    they are in a position of authority over me legally, I can't help that.
    also actually I have changed my mind, there are many, many, more people than my parents in a position of legal authority over me.
     
    just me, Dec 4, 2019
    #84
  8. Gawdzilla Sama

    Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    Back when Yugoslavia was a hell on Earth somebody dropped a dozen mortars on kids lined up to get their school books. If you can consider this and still think there's no "good or bad" I really hope you are never in charge of children or animals.
     
    Gawdzilla Sama, Dec 4, 2019
    #85
  9. just me

    just me Registered Senior Member

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    I still think there is no such thing as OBJECTIVE good or bad.
    and don't worry, I have no interest in being in charge of children or animals, I just wanna be in charge of myself.
     
    just me, Dec 4, 2019
    #86
  10. DaveC426913

    DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I know. It's an indication that you are obviously quite young, so your past rebel days can't be all that long ago, relatively speaking.
     
    DaveC426913, Dec 4, 2019
    #87
  11. just me

    just me Registered Senior Member

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    I suppose to you they aren't.
     
    just me, Dec 4, 2019
    #88
  12. just me

    just me Registered Senior Member

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    I suspect it probably has something to do with the mammalian brain, the reason why people tend to share the same values. I don't know, I'm no neuroscientist.
     
    just me, Dec 4, 2019
    #89
  13. DaveC426913

    DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    A brain complex enough to create social structures, yes. Social structures are efficient in terms of effort expended versus resources gained: "I have lots of bananas, but would trade some for some of your berries". Social structures require cooperation, and that means some form of social contract: "I won't kill you if you don't kill me. It's a win-win."
     
    DaveC426913, Dec 5, 2019
    #90
  14. Gawdzilla Sama

    Gawdzilla Sama Valued Senior Member

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    What's wrong with objecting to child murder for political purposes?
     
    Gawdzilla Sama, Dec 5, 2019
    #91
  15. just me

    just me Registered Senior Member

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    well, nothing, but nor is there anything right about it objectively.
     
    just me, Dec 5, 2019
    #92
  16. Yazata

    Yazata Valued Senior Member

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    I don't either. Put another way, I don't think that there's any objective fact of the matter to statements like "X is wrong" or "Doing X is evil.)

    It's not something that one can determine by scientific investigation, certainly.

    In that sense, judgments of right and wrong are kind of like "Mohammed is the Seal of the Prophets" or "Jesus is Lord".

    These may be widely and passionately held beliefs among particular communities of human beings, but in my opinion there isn't anything objective about the universe that makes them true. They are subjective opinions more than factual knowledge.
     
    Yazata, Dec 6, 2019
    #93
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