Universal moral principles 4 radioactive dance floor
This is part of a larger series of blogs written by me and @DivineMarquis.
I'll list them for you here:
No Lives Matter 1: All Universal Moral Principles Are But Idle Fancy
Universal moral principles 2 electric boogaloo
No Lives Matter 2: From the Margin to the Edge
Universal moral principles 3 solar jamboree
No Lives Matter 3: Birds and Bees
@DivineMarquis, a friend (as much as one can be with someone I would never dare to meet) has once again continued this conversation. But it took me a while to get around to writing this.
First I must confess I didn't research John Stuart Mill I judged the man based on the information provided in No Lives Matter 2: From the Margin to the Edge.
It hasn't been that long since my love of reading has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes. (After it was brutally murdered by public school.) And I still have much to learn and read.
Next the Marquis writes. " I think the good Monsieur is making an unrelated case. I shall demonstrate here, and why I think even he secretly agrees with me." Funny, I feel the same way about you @DivineMarquis. Let me give you an example.
"Some may understand that an addiction will reek havoc on their life, destroying everything they have worked for up until this point. This is not a moral decision, but one of intelligence." I would call this using intelligence to discover a moral rule. Understanding why it is moral doesn't make it less moral. You still made the right choice.
"They are not doing so to overcome human nature (as you state the point of morality is)". I meant that morality is a tool for overcoming human nature, not that overcoming human nature is the goal. For example I reserve a certain vice for my birthday and new years eve. If I allowed myself to break that rule the resulting excess would be bad for my health.
"You ask why are patreon and subscribestar a thing. This one is also simple. People want to support what they like." No people want what they like to be supported so they can keep enjoying it. There is no reason why they should wish to bear the cost themselves.
"Rousseauean philosophy. It is the same reason we do not immediately go kill our neighbors for loud music or scratch cars with bumper stickers of which we disapprove. We wish not for the same actions to be taken against us." That sounds a lot like the golden rule. Which is pretty much related to my (and Sam Harris's) claim about the moral landscape.
"They maintain this ‘honor among thieves’ because the consequence of dishonorable behavior is death." Or jail if they are the one being snitched on. But by agreeing to make the Omerta a shared scared moral they gain trust and community.
Then De Sade discusses "sexual socialism" and everything he says is spot on. Including "Because Chad and Stacy are examples of industriousness and self-reliance." and " Yet, in the West we do not really learn about the virtues of such industriousness." Sounds to me like the Marquis is praising the virtues, their productive behavior what I would call their morality. "
these are the universal moral principles of the West now. Charity, empathy, kindness, and agape love are things which are bombarded onto the population from mainstream media, influencers, businesses, and society at large." No they are the opinions on universal moral principles pushed by the establishment and large parts of society.
I think I can say with full certainty that human nature is flawed, that to overcome these flaws and their disastrous consequences people invent moral codes. With experience and reason these codes can be compared and their outcomes can be judged.
Depending on who benefits most from a code people will selfishly or just as a matter of perceptive favor codes that favor them. But that doesn't mean there is not a set of universal moral principles everyone would chose if they didn't know their own situation. (Assuming they were smart and had the relevant data.)