we do appeal to a higher morality. but that higher morality is based on principles which are fundamentally utilitarian. cruel totalitarianism + lack of freedom = less happiness -> freedom and democracy = good -> Chinese system = bad
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Edit: Anything that requires too much assumption is a **** moral hypothetical in the first place. It's exactly what Frown was describing when saying the ideology is easily manipulatable for people that are short sighted. Lets assume people are just as happy even if I take their freedoms. There for it's okay to take their freedoms. Let's assume somebody will suffer less if I kill them. There for it's okay to kill them. |
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and yes, the freedom = good idea is based on the idea that it generally leads to more happiness (or rather less unhappiness, which is why I favour that approach). Of course there are exceptions and you can't judge for sure most of the time, which is exactly why such a general idea is necessary. You're not doing a calculation at any point because that idea is preposterous: instead you create an ethical system with values like you describe, but as long as these are ultimately based on the idea that humankind is happier/suffers less that way, it's essentially utilitarian |
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I should add one qualifier: the concept of justice may be the only exception where people believe in it because of an instinctive conviction, but I'm not sure it even applies there
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if I believed reducing freedom would lead to happiness on a really fundamental level then yes. not necessarily always though
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There's literally no point in questioning the ideology with a hypothetical that has no real world example you could ever give. You're literally just saying, "Well what if the floor was lava!" Well, yeah, of course I'd try to avoid the floor if it was lava but it's not lava so who gives a ****? |
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Wow so thoughtful. Much deep. How can anybody muster the brain power to answer such a profound question? |
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