posted
I think perhaps we are talking past one another. I gave an argument that can be used by anyone to convince someone else that they want a particular law passed. All humans will find it convincing, and desire to pass the law, quite irrespective of what moral system they follow. What test are you applying that it does not pass?
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Autoignition temperature is about 1200F. But vegetable oil oxidizes at temperatures as low as room temperature depending on oxygen concentration and mixing characteristics. You're looking for the temperature oil pyrolyzes at, not the temperature it burns at.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Murder is impossible to excuse in a starting civilization. Some people's lives are so important to a growing society (Blacksmith, doctors, a multitude of either gender, even farmers)) that to not protect them from harm is to threaten the entire community.
"Laws should protect lives that are important to society" is a moral jump.
quote:Theft and Murder laws are vital to maintain a successful civilization.
"Society should enact laws that are vital to maintain a successful civilization" is a moral jump. [/QB]
You can make anything sound like a moral by paraphrasing it. In my eyes, all three of the quoted statements above say: "If this is allowed, then my probability of survival goes down". I don't see morality in that.
I don't think we'll come to any conclusions until we understand each other's definition of Morality. I feel that morality certainly has a basis in logic. As I said before, I think morality initially STARTED as reason. After a time though, as certain concepts became a part of every day life, people forgot the line of reason that led to those concepts. I'll give an example.
Endangered species. Certainly they are worth protecting, as driving them to extinction can have unforeseen consequences. Some people don't stop with endangered species though. Some feel that this umbrella of protection should extend to protect other, more common animals, from animal testing. This doesn't make sense. This is an example of a "Moral jump".
Another correlated subject is something I'll call an "Expired moral conclusion". Something that once made sense that is no longer applicable in the world we live in. An example: Several generations ago, when the world population wasn't nearing 7 Billion, it made perfect sense to frown upon Abortion. A society could fail do to low birthrates alone. Today, however, that isn't likely. Their just doesn't seem to be enough consequences for it to be an issue any more (in my opinion).
Posts: 636 | Registered: Apr 2002
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There is a sort of dignity we would like to apply to human-ness, so that we don't end up treating people as mere objects. By this I mean that I move my sofa, or lock it in the house, or stick needles in it to reupholster it or bury it in the dump or saw it to bits, with no twinge of reservation, but -- think about doing those things to human beings. I'm *glad* we don't think of people as mere objects! But if I eat someone's body, I treat that person as a mere object. If it were a ritual thing like in Stranger in a Strange Land, it might be different, but if it's just hmm, McDonalds or drop by the funeral home today? then I must have an attitude that people are just objects, not in the usual I'm-a-little-selfish way, but *truly* objects.
There are people that have no trace of concern for the dignity or rights of others. They are called sociopaths.
This I think is why cannibalism is viewed with revulsion, and should be viewed with revulsion. It's true that an already dead body has no person in it, but it's close enough to personhood that violating it makes one dangerous to the living as well.
Posts: 544 | Registered: Mar 2007
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posted
I don't think we'll be able to avoid moral questions here (certainly not by replacing "good" with "healthy" or "to be desired"!). But maybe the purpose of this thread was for us to discuss the effects of cannibalism and its taboo, or whatever, rather than just the flat answer "it's wrong." It is wrong, but it also has certain effects when you practice it.
One of which is diseases. That's another good reason that we find it disgusting.
Posts: 544 | Registered: Mar 2007
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quote:Endangered species. Certainly they are worth protecting, as driving them to extinction can have unforeseen consequences. Some people don't stop with endangered species though. Some feel that this umbrella of protection should extend to protect other, more common animals, from animal testing. This doesn't make sense. This is an example of a "Moral jump".
"Endangered species are certainly worth protecting" is an example of a "moral jump."
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:Endangered species. Certainly they are worth protecting, as driving them to extinction can have unforeseen consequences. Some people don't stop with endangered species though. Some feel that this umbrella of protection should extend to protect other, more common animals, from animal testing. This doesn't make sense. This is an example of a "Moral jump".
"Endangered species are certainly worth protecting" is an example of a "moral jump."
Only if you take it out of the context that was set by the rest of the sentence...
That's like someone taking the phrase "If you're absolutely desperate to get out of the house tonight and don't have anything remotely close to being considered a life, then I suppose 'I am Legend' is a fine choice of movies for you.", and cutting it down to "I am Legend is a fine choice of movies." (don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this movie, it was just the first one to come to mind, so I used it as my example)
Posts: 636 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
"Endangered species are certainly worth protecting" is an example of a "moral jump."
Have you thought this through? I would think it would make at least some sense to keep them around for future scientific study. I think it's also pretty rude to kill endangered species that many other people enjoy seeing in nature. I'm not saying these are absolutes.
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
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