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Originally Posted by Law&Order
Stealing would be ok unless it happened to you. Then it would become immoral again. So do you define is as things you don't want others to do to you?
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Not necessarily. I could simply accept the consequences for not protecting my belongings from theft well enough.
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Originally Posted by RNB
A government is establish to protect the initiation of force in those extreme circumstances where stealing would "seem" to be or is in fact rational. The thing is, other people might also feel it is rational to steal your property. With a government set up, it makes it less rational to steal, and it makes your property safer.
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I dunno. I can rationalize and argue the virtues of stealing for the individual doing the stealing. If they feel the rewards are greater than the risks, and take pride in their abilities as a thief, then why shouldn't they steal? It's something they take pride in doing, and something that they obtain happiness from.
Yeah, you're right in that the risks may make it less rational. But there are instances where the risks are greatly diminished for various reasons, that aren't all that uncommon or extreme. I'm sure I could research the security measures used in stores and get away with shoplifting without much risk of getting caught if I really put the effort into it.
And I'm sure a lot of people would rather have their property be safer over being able to steal. But I'd bet there are people who would rather steal and protect their own property themselves. That's more of a difference in priorities between people.
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I would say that stealing is rational in life-boat circumstances. I think, when forming a reality for living in the "real world," those instances can be somewhat neglected. If you are on an island and there is only enough food for one person, it is moral to kill off the others. For the sake of our morality, it should be fine say that cold-blooded murder is irrational.
And what is the essence of a life-boat circumstance? In those cases, no one really wins. You might survive, but will you really be happy afterward? Life isn't full of life-boat circumstances, and it is full of situations where everyone can win if they act rationally.
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I think an objective morality should apply in all circumstances, even if they're extremely rare. Otherwise it would only really apply to a current societies way of living, instead of universally among all human beings. That's why I think it has to be kept vague, and only applied contextually like you said earlier.