Music Banter - View Single Post - Ethics

garbanzo · 02-28-2009, 12:43 PM

1. i am not religious or spiritual in any way whatsoever.
2. i'm not a strict materialist. i know too much about quantum physics to believe in a purely predictable, mechanistic universe.
3. i am neither a subjectivist nor an objectivist. i follow a middle path known to some as experientialism. (i can explain if there is interest)
4. i believe very firmly in the theory of evolution by natural selection.

these four fundamental issues really screw things up for me when it comes to thinking about ethics. i can't turn to dogma, personal belief, pure nihilism, or most other 'standard' sources for my own personal system of values. i struggled for a long time with these issues. but in the end, this is where i stand:

1. on a very basic level, i feel that biological imperative should be the end-all of ethics. that which promotes the replication of my DNA is good, and that which is detrimental to it is evil.
2. unfortunately, that point of view is very impractical. i was born into a world with pre-existing values and rules. whether i agree with them or not, i am bound to them. sure, i am free to do as i wish - condemned to be free as Sartre might say - but i must be willing to face the consequences of my actions.
3. as such, i float along with the stream. i neither condemn nor condone the values of others, and i take no strong stance of my own in any direction. does this make me weak? perhaps. but i do know this - if i did everything in my power to spread my seed, my life would almost certainly be cut short, and i would not be around to care for my offspring. plus, it would really suck being in trouble all the time.
4. and there's the rub - pleasure. i'm no hedonist, but i do take care of myself. i'm definitely selfish to a fault, and i enjoy my life tremendously. so really, i just end up conforming to the normative values of my society.
5. here's the real kicker - biologically, this is the best i can possibly do! act like the rest, pass their tests, and i'll live long and my DNA will prosper. it's not necessarily what i want to do, but it really does seem to be the best course of action.

02-28-2009, 12:43 PM	#26 (permalink)
garbanzo Recommended by 4 out of 5 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Budapest Posts: 137	1. i am not religious or spiritual in any way whatsoever. 2. i'm not a strict materialist. i know too much about quantum physics to believe in a purely predictable, mechanistic universe. 3. i am neither a subjectivist nor an objectivist. i follow a middle path known to some as experientialism. (i can explain if there is interest) 4. i believe very firmly in the theory of evolution by natural selection. these four fundamental issues really screw things up for me when it comes to thinking about ethics. i can't turn to dogma, personal belief, pure nihilism, or most other 'standard' sources for my own personal system of values. i struggled for a long time with these issues. but in the end, this is where i stand: 1. on a very basic level, i feel that biological imperative should be the end-all of ethics. that which promotes the replication of my DNA is good, and that which is detrimental to it is evil. 2. unfortunately, that point of view is very impractical. i was born into a world with pre-existing values and rules. whether i agree with them or not, i am bound to them. sure, i am free to do as i wish - condemned to be free as Sartre might say - but i must be willing to face the consequences of my actions. 3. as such, i float along with the stream. i neither condemn nor condone the values of others, and i take no strong stance of my own in any direction. does this make me weak? perhaps. but i do know this - if i did everything in my power to spread my seed, my life would almost certainly be cut short, and i would not be around to care for my offspring. plus, it would really suck being in trouble all the time. 4. and there's the rub - pleasure. i'm no hedonist, but i do take care of myself. i'm definitely selfish to a fault, and i enjoy my life tremendously. so really, i just end up conforming to the normative values of my society. 5. here's the real kicker - biologically, this is the best i can possibly do! act like the rest, pass their tests, and i'll live long and my DNA will prosper. it's not necessarily what i want to do, but it really does seem to be the best course of action.