Quote:
Originally Posted by djulian
Perhaps we're hanging up on the issue of having personal moral opinions about our own activity and having moral desires regarding the functioning of society. I think both are fair and appropriate. I think it's okay to have moral desires about how society operates. Do you?
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No, I don't think it's okay to have moral desires about how society operates. Society is a construct, and different constructs have different moral desires about how to operate. You say society, but what do you mean by that? The current grouping of people you live around? All of humanity?
If I were to have societal desires, I suppose they would run VERY basic and look like this:
* Do not ban anything that is victimless in nature
* If some one is forced to do something against their will, they are a victim and a crime has been committed.
* If some one is hurt by another, they are a victim.
* If some one commits fraud against another, that person is a criminal and their target a victim.
* If something does not affect you in ANY WAY, but you dislike it, it is your perogative to abstain from doing it. You are NOT a victim and neither is this magical construct called "society."
But I would hardly argue those are societal desires. More like MY moral codes. And I certainly wouldn't force someone else to accept them, as most people tend to force "societal desires" given the power. That'd be quite hypocritical of me!
