Quote:
Originally Posted by Blowtus
The cells in my body could be said to function the way they do 'because it fulfils their biological drives', and as such they create me, which I value. I could be said to function the way I do 'because I think it will make me happy', which boils down to 'because I want to', or 'because the universe says so'.
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yea, I think we have to pick and choose at the time what might be most practical...all the while of course hoping science might help give us better details. that's always nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blowtus
If I choose to apply my 'values' to humanity as a whole, and act (in some cases at least) for the 'greater good', (using my intellect to create 'value') then yes, such could be said to happen purely because of universal causality, but in no sense do I *feel* that I am acting for or because of causality - I feel that I am acting for the 'greater good' (morally, in some view of it at least) and as such it seems to be some sort of 'subjective end', just as I think pleasure, or God, could also be viewed as subjective ends.
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yea. this is just the 'free-will illusion' problem being applied to moral concerns...as if it wasn't hassle enough on it's own! whyever it is, free-will or determinism, that we do have the values we do, and change them when we do, I think that can be put aside in the interest of the point that when we think we have some purpose in life--I must convert everyone to Islam, that is my life's work, or 'I must save the trees, that is meaningful'--it doesn't mean we're right, but
that being our belief does account for our behavior, and we're acting on that belief toward the fulfillment of the goal involved because if we don't we predict we'll feel worse for it if we don't...however far we extend our values, to a cat or to a tamagotchi (virtual pet), the roots don't seem to me to be in any different soil.
It's hard to think of acting for the greater good irrespective of self-esteem and guilt and shame, or worshiping god irrespective of fear, or desire, or even of pleasure irrespective of the result pleasure has on our mood-state. these things seem to me unintelligible dissociated from the basic human end of self-satisfaction---unintelligible spoken of as 'ends in themselves', as contradictions to the idea of one end for which such things can be valued as means depending on subjective differences in the beliefs of individuals.