The folly of youth.

[andrewducker]

I used to be different. I used to believe that there was a moral truth out there. Hell, I used to believe I was _right_ and that given enough time I could bloody well prove it.

I'd been involved in a lot of arguments, both on and offline, about Right behaviour. This is a topic that's always fascinated me, and I became obsessed with it after I spent a year-or-so moderating an extropian mailing list, full of particularly rabid libertarians that equated any kind of government with a full-on totalitarian state. I strongly disagreed, and was, as I said, sure that given the time and the tools I could prove that they were wrong and I was right.

Attempting to prove them wrong was both the biggest waste of my time possible, and an incredibly enlightening period of time, as I slowly proved to myself that the idea of absolute morals, correct behaviours, etc. was not just nonsense but utterly incoherent and indefinable.

I still believe in the truth when it comes to actual reality, of course - although I'm completely aware that my access to that reality is crippled, partial and overlaid with huge amounts of social, biological and physical illusions. But I have no such beliefs when it comes to morality.

And that's what happened when I was 22.

Comments

[khbrown.livejournal.com]

I wonder how long it will be until Godwin's Law can be invoked as the debate ensues here.

[captainlucy.livejournal.com]

OMGWTFBBQ, NAZI!!!!111eleventy!!!

There, now that's over and done with we can carry on with the argument. Now, it was the five-minute argument you asked for, wasn't it? ;)

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I generally find rabid libertarians on the internet to be utterly incoherent and incapable of defining things.

On the other hand, I believe I'm right but have precisely zero desire to prove this to anyone. Trying to prove things that you consider self-evident is generally not time well spent.

Surely moderating a list full of people like that would be somewhat problematic, given the attitude they would surely have to any moderation?

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I wonder how long it will be until Godwin's Law can be invoked as the debate ensues here.

Mailing list moderators are as bad as Hitler.

Edit: Beaten!

Fake Edit: Just like Hitler!

[laserboy.livejournal.com]

Trying to prove things that you consider self-evident is generally not time well spent.

Indeed.

[andrewducker]

Surely moderating a list full of people like that would be somewhat problematic, given the attitude they would surely have to any moderation?

Indeed.

Learning experience though.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

Funny how it seems many people throughout history have failed to realise this. Ah well, we're totally the enlightened ones. GO US!

[captainlucy.livejournal.com]

Just look at the United States Constitution...

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Is this the first Moebius comment loop?

[andrewducker]

Possibly - although this:
http://andrewducker.livejournal.com/1435289.html
is a wikipedia loop :->

[kashandara.livejournal.com]

I wish my first thought on reading this specifically wasn't 'oh god oh god we're all gonna die!' =p