andrewducker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
andrewducker) wrote2004-06-12 10:33 am
andrewducker) wrote2004-06-12 10:33 am
Advice Please
A long time ago, I used to believe in things like 'objective morality', 'absolute rights' and 'objective aesthetics'. Obviously, as I grew up and started paying attention, I realised that what these actually meant was 'The way I'd like people to behave', 'The way I'd like people to be treated' and 'The way I like things to look'.
Since realising this, I've become a lot more understanding of other people, realising that if they like people behaving differently, like people to behave differently and like things to look differently, then of course they have different morality, rights and aesthetics and that's just fine. My opinions aren't privileged over theirs and while there's no objective reason why I shouldn't go around forcing my opinions on them it makes for a quieter life if I avoid doing so unless their opinions/actions make me feel grossly uncomfortable (i.e. engaging in torture or wearing a particularly vile hawiian shirt).
However, from time to time I have to deal with people that think that these things mean more than that (although none of them have ever been able to give any reason why they do). I find it almost impossible to negotiate with them because while I'm phrasing things in terms of what I like/dislike, or what I'm comfortable with, they're telling me that I'm categoricall wrong. As I don't view it as possible to be wrong about these things, I'm at a loss as to know what to do.
Any suggestions?
[Poll #306886]
Since realising this, I've become a lot more understanding of other people, realising that if they like people behaving differently, like people to behave differently and like things to look differently, then of course they have different morality, rights and aesthetics and that's just fine. My opinions aren't privileged over theirs and while there's no objective reason why I shouldn't go around forcing my opinions on them it makes for a quieter life if I avoid doing so unless their opinions/actions make me feel grossly uncomfortable (i.e. engaging in torture or wearing a particularly vile hawiian shirt).
However, from time to time I have to deal with people that think that these things mean more than that (although none of them have ever been able to give any reason why they do). I find it almost impossible to negotiate with them because while I'm phrasing things in terms of what I like/dislike, or what I'm comfortable with, they're telling me that I'm categoricall wrong. As I don't view it as possible to be wrong about these things, I'm at a loss as to know what to do.
Any suggestions?
[Poll #306886]
no subject
When people say "Hitting Kids is Wrong" they either mean "Moral system X judges the hitting of children as a wrong act." or "I don't like it when you kids are hit.", i.e. statements within a chosen moral framework or based purely on their own feelings, both of which are subjective. There is no objective meaning to the sentence whatsoever. The word "wrong" is only meaningful within certain subjective boundaries when used in this kind of context and claiming that it is more meaningful is most definitively wrong.
I'm very happy to be proved wrong though. Honestly, if you can show me a way to make these statements objective then I'd be very appreciative - but so far as I can tell, people have been trying to do so since the dawn of time, with no luck whatsoever - everything eventually comes down to "Well it just is!" or "That's what seems right to me."