| | Eric, I loved the overall gist of this article!
note: I do agree with Tibor's warning, but I will proceed nonetheless
As a moral perfectionist, I pride myself on getting closer and closer to something ideal (I gain and keep my self-respect in this manner). There are folks who don't often practice this behavior, and they are being less moral than I am. There may be folks who practice this "either grow or die" behavior better than I do and, in those cases, they are more being moral than I am.
However, I think that those who you allude to above are in a separate category altogether -- ie. those who've 'chosen' not to try and become better people in their lives (the truly evil among us). Some of their arguments might be (and this list serves as ammunition for the good-doers on this planet):
1. there is no good or evil
2. there is no use being good -- in an evil world
3. humans are a biological species that are, thoroughly and fundamentally, evil
4. there is good and evil, but it is predetermined by "destiny" (we're born to be either one or the other)
5. there is no way to know the good (though it might exist, we could not ever epistemologically pin it down, or identify it)
6. Buddha sufficiently outlined good and evil (the highest "good" is motionless, effortless, egoless, emptiness -- or "MEEE!" for short)
7. government controls good and evil (the only good is to, without question, serve the State -- or force others into this service, as sacrificial cows to a righteous slaughter)
8. God controls good and evil (the only good is [insert subjective interpretation of scriptural commandments here])
9. it is wrong to differentiate between good and evil
I could probably come up with 1 or 2 more of these, but I'm already making myself sick to my stomach [pun intended]!
;-)
Ed
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