Quote:
Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent
the irony is that even in the absence of free will, because we all experience freedom we can still talk as though it exists. just because we don't "get to choose who we are" doesn't mean that all our actions are excused--just because i didn't "choose" to be a moral person doesn't mean that my morality is somehow invalidated, and just because i didn't "choose" to share those morals with others doesn't mean that it's somehow a pointless enterprise, since I can still make others more ethical through my own ethical behavior even if there is no "i" and no "you." (as he says, we're mostly influenced by our peers) the whole free will argument is basically completely meaningless, and really has no bearing on ethics or morality.
|
what exactly do you mean 'excused'? actions aren't excused because the majority of society has agreed upon an ethics code that people choose to live by. that and something pretty exclusive to humans exists, i think you've heard of it:
emotions
prison isn't a punishment so much as something that satisfies the greater good. people decided that they'd rather have a few people who didn't adhere to their morals rot away in prison so that the general public feels more at ease. and i agree with this logic.
