Post by Adona Mara on Feb 2, 2007 12:30:58 GMT -5
Originally posted by Icarus
OK. Hecate said that I had been being naughty at another site. So, now, I will take my naughtiness and display it here too!
Hope you enjoy, Hecate.
Socrates believed that a person could not know right from wrong, or good from evil, unless they experienced it for themselves. The youth that he was accused of "corrupting" were told that they should question every moral law that was handed down to them. They should go out and seek the truth through experience. Once they had experienced the "good" or "bad", a person could then truly know "good" from "bad" because every single entity had the ability to know the difference imprinted on their souls. But, the important thing to remember here is that Socrates believed that you had to experience everything for yourself. You could not truly know if something was morally wrong just because someone told you that it was so. You could also not know that something was good just because someone told you that it was so, or because it was a pleasureable thing.
Today is no different from the days of Socrates. We all have our moral codes. Where did those codes come from? Do you and I believe a certain set of things to be good and bad just because we were raised to believe in such a way? Or, alternatively, did we do as Socrates suggested, and experience things for ourselves?
I have been thinking on this, primarily as a form of distraction from other tedious chores that I have had my fill of, and decided that I would like to share my thoughts with you.
I believe that everyone does have to experience things for themselves to truly know if a certain thing is "good", "bad", or "evil". The only "except" here is when that certain thing harms other people. I am speaking of rape, molestation, and abuse in any other form. Why does this not have to be experienced personally? Because if someone harms an innocent person, then I believe that it is "bad"- not evil, just bad.
Also, we experience the effects of such abuse personally when we interact with those victims, whether that be in person or in the media.
Murder? It depends on the circumstances. Was it done out of defense of yourself or someone else? This would go on into the death penalty too. I happen to support the death penalty simply because we do not currently have the resources to house and "fix" every violent criminal out there.
Birth Control? If a Life is meant to be created, it will be- no matter what you do to stop it. (Personal experience here...)
Certain "intimate" acts- It is necessary to experience these acts to know if they are right or wrong, but then, it will only be right or wrong for you.
Euthanasia? Completely believe that it is good and should be allowed for anyone to experience this if they should wish to do so.
"Poly"marriages/Swingers- This is one of those things that I choose not to experience because well, I guess I am just to selfish to share my spouse with anyone else. Yes, that would fall under "attachment".
So, there are a few things that I have noticed that some people tend to bring up with regards to morality. That's my take on it. I guess in the end what you have to do is experience everything that you can and then decide for yourself. It would seem that many times, our vision is clouded by our long-held prejudices and distorted views on other's experiences. We all have to clear that fog from our eyes and see with the eyes of children. But, even when you do so, it will still only be your belief that is formed and does not make it everyone else's belief. That's the beauty of perception, I suppose.
OK. Hecate said that I had been being naughty at another site. So, now, I will take my naughtiness and display it here too!
Hope you enjoy, Hecate.
Socrates believed that a person could not know right from wrong, or good from evil, unless they experienced it for themselves. The youth that he was accused of "corrupting" were told that they should question every moral law that was handed down to them. They should go out and seek the truth through experience. Once they had experienced the "good" or "bad", a person could then truly know "good" from "bad" because every single entity had the ability to know the difference imprinted on their souls. But, the important thing to remember here is that Socrates believed that you had to experience everything for yourself. You could not truly know if something was morally wrong just because someone told you that it was so. You could also not know that something was good just because someone told you that it was so, or because it was a pleasureable thing.
Today is no different from the days of Socrates. We all have our moral codes. Where did those codes come from? Do you and I believe a certain set of things to be good and bad just because we were raised to believe in such a way? Or, alternatively, did we do as Socrates suggested, and experience things for ourselves?
I have been thinking on this, primarily as a form of distraction from other tedious chores that I have had my fill of, and decided that I would like to share my thoughts with you.
I believe that everyone does have to experience things for themselves to truly know if a certain thing is "good", "bad", or "evil". The only "except" here is when that certain thing harms other people. I am speaking of rape, molestation, and abuse in any other form. Why does this not have to be experienced personally? Because if someone harms an innocent person, then I believe that it is "bad"- not evil, just bad.
Also, we experience the effects of such abuse personally when we interact with those victims, whether that be in person or in the media.
Murder? It depends on the circumstances. Was it done out of defense of yourself or someone else? This would go on into the death penalty too. I happen to support the death penalty simply because we do not currently have the resources to house and "fix" every violent criminal out there.
Birth Control? If a Life is meant to be created, it will be- no matter what you do to stop it. (Personal experience here...)
Certain "intimate" acts- It is necessary to experience these acts to know if they are right or wrong, but then, it will only be right or wrong for you.
Euthanasia? Completely believe that it is good and should be allowed for anyone to experience this if they should wish to do so.
"Poly"marriages/Swingers- This is one of those things that I choose not to experience because well, I guess I am just to selfish to share my spouse with anyone else. Yes, that would fall under "attachment".
So, there are a few things that I have noticed that some people tend to bring up with regards to morality. That's my take on it. I guess in the end what you have to do is experience everything that you can and then decide for yourself. It would seem that many times, our vision is clouded by our long-held prejudices and distorted views on other's experiences. We all have to clear that fog from our eyes and see with the eyes of children. But, even when you do so, it will still only be your belief that is formed and does not make it everyone else's belief. That's the beauty of perception, I suppose.