tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post1448600974151537257..comments2024-03-27T05:47:21.295-07:00Comments on Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature: Philosophy and ConductDaniel Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06359277853862225286noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-28339798353506286892008-06-09T19:02:00.000-07:002008-06-09T19:02:00.000-07:00Hello again, Greg,I could argue that, if you lie i...Hello again, Greg,<BR/><BR/>I could argue that, if you lie intelligently, you can keep the chance of finding negligible. Of course, if you lie stupidly, you only make the situation worse.<BR/><BR/>But, really, this is beside the point. The issue here is the morality of lying, not its practicality. You can convince me the lie is impractical - but it can still be moral (or vice versa).<BR/><BR/>I believe that religion, by forbidding to lie no matter the circumstances, causes needless suffering. Here is another example for you:<BR/><BR/>A young lady, who has a very controlling father, one day leaves home with a great scandal, shutting the door behind her. Her mom knows that father is wrong here, but dares not to say a word.<BR/><BR/>Further, this father forbids his wife any contact with their daughter whatever. Of course, mother could easily see her daughter without him knowing, but... she belongs to old school "don't ever lie, no matter what". So, even though it breaks her heart, she obeys her husband...<BR/><BR/>Do you see something wrong with the picture?Dusty Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12531549045241661990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-56529771267412793012008-06-09T13:04:00.000-07:002008-06-09T13:04:00.000-07:00Dusty, I agree with you that there may exist situa...Dusty, <BR/><BR/>I agree with you that there may exist situations when lying becomes necessary; but I don't agree with your examples. Regardless of how much we may dislike taxation, it's not a good idea to lie about them. You're running the risk that you'll be found out and have to pay much worse penalty. I particularly think it's a bad idea to lie to a social worker to keep him from taking your child, because, in the first place, it's not likely such lies will work, and even more critically, if such lies are discovered, they will be used against you and perhaps you'll never get your child back. When dealing with bureaucratic abuses of power, it's generally not a good idea to lie. You're simply giving the bureaucracy the justification it needs to move forward.gregnyquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13653516868316854941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-42750925348196067772008-06-09T10:59:00.000-07:002008-06-09T10:59:00.000-07:00Hello, Greg Niquist,Here I am again (hope you miss...Hello, Greg Niquist,<BR/><BR/>Here I am again (hope you missed me...)<BR/><BR/>And here, for the first time, I respectfully disagree. You take it as self-evident that telling the truth is always good, lying is always bad, period.<BR/><BR/>Suppose there are some exceptions? I regard taxation as theft, therefore, lying on your tax return is justifiable.<BR/><BR/>Whenever somebody threatens to use force against you, you use whatever means are available to protect yourself - and if it means lying, so be it.<BR/><BR/>Likewise, if a social worker wants to take away your child, and you can send him away by lying, I'd say, lying in this situation is a perfectly moral thing to do.<BR/><BR/>I could continue, but I think I've made my point.<BR/><BR/>I still enjoy reading your blog, though...Dusty Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12531549045241661990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-7897767619289520942008-06-08T08:31:00.000-07:002008-06-08T08:31:00.000-07:00Greg Nyquest. A person's view of morality is forme...Greg Nyquest. <BR/>A person's view of morality is formed way before their view of partisan politics. Morality is something that people need to think about since the day they are capable of any independent action at all, whereas partisanship is something that one need only be concerned about once one has hit their country's voting age. Therefore a person's political leanings are not likely to influence their ethics because their ethics have a 1.5 decade head start.<BR/>As to my feeling that this is a hatchet job. I have noticed that this is an election year in America, and the Republican faction is hard up for votes. They need to do something to try to get every vote they can, and this piece maligning the ethics of liberals is one of those things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-28325174630351836162008-06-05T22:30:00.000-07:002008-06-05T22:30:00.000-07:00Wells: "To me it looked like nothing more than a s...Wells: "To me it looked like nothing more than a simple hatchet job. An art form perfected by our neoconservatives, and carrying no real intellectual weight, but rather the appearance thereof."<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, this is not very useful. Besides expressing a dislike for neo-conservatives, it provides no information or evidence. Why is it a hatchet job? Because you disagree with the conclusions? Do you have any evidence on the other side? Is there something wrong with the studies Schweitzer (who is a conservative, not a neo-conservative) cites? I find what he says compelling because it matches what I have experienced personally. The most dishonest people I have run into are nearly all on the left, particularly the far left.gregnyquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13653516868316854941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-13660969561743666902008-06-03T21:09:00.000-07:002008-06-03T21:09:00.000-07:00Edit:... and why the atheist couples have lower ma...Edit:... and why the atheist couples have lower marriage....<BR/><BR/>Should have said lower divorce rates.Red Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066324554026925595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-6417177629322999302008-06-03T21:08:00.000-07:002008-06-03T21:08:00.000-07:00____________________________One thing I have notic...____________________________<BR/><BR/>One thing I have noticed examing the studies of the relation between religion and conduct is that religious belief per se does not seem: - Greg<BR/>____________________________<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>So following your logic, why not convert to Islam, Judaism, Buddism, or Paganism?<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>____________________________<BR/><BR/>....it is church attendance that is critical.<BR/><BR/>Church attendance motives people to honest because they are afraid if they lie or cheat, they will lose faith with the other members of church. - Greg<BR/>____________________________<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Ted Haggard?<BR/><BR/>Bakers?<BR/><BR/>Jimmy Swaggart?<BR/><BR/>Oral Roberts?<BR/><BR/>and other evangelical preachers who don't practice what they preach?<BR/><BR/>...and why the atheist couples have lower marriage than those "Fundamentalist Christians"?Red Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08066324554026925595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-2131830779573772722008-06-02T18:36:00.000-07:002008-06-02T18:36:00.000-07:00I read his article if some free rag. To me it look...I read his article if some free rag. To me it looked like nothing more than a simple hatchet job. An art form perfected by our neoconservatives, and carrying no real intellectual weight, but rather the appearance thereof.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com