Still not much happening either on the internet or in RealWorld. I'm back in house-husband mode doing cooking, cleaning, dishes. Wee!
Jerry Pournelle did have an interesting essay on what are the foundations of morality. The historical answer has been revelation from God or gods. But in a secular society, what do you use? Objectivism, utility, rational self-interest; all have been put forward, but all suffer a fatal flaw: why that system of morality? If you eliminate "Because God said so." then what makes your system The System? A 50% + 1 majority? Your guns are bigger or your thugs are more ruthless? You are a better debator?
Anyway, that discussion leads rather neatly into this news story:
Natalie Dylan, 22, claims her offer of a one-night stand has persuaded 10,000 men to bid for sex with her....
The student who has a degree in Women's Studies insisted she was not demeaning herself....
Miss Dylan, from San Diego, California, USA, said she was persuaded to offer herself to the highest bidder after her sister Avia, 23, paid for her own degree after working as a prostitute for three weeks....
"It's shocking that men will pay so much for someone's virginity, which isn't even prized so highly anymore."
And why not?
The best we can hope for in 2009: "The news is going to be unrelentingly bad for the next four to five months." Looks like I picked a good year to sit on the sidelines and take college classes. And it looks like we got rid of everything just in time so that I can sit this one out. If we were still in Michigan, we would be living in a cardboard box behind Denny's and eating out of the dumpster.
Will it be Fire or Ice? (HCHSBTSPODTUTBGTUTHADHOI) Pretty bad when Pravda comes closer to living up to it's name that the media in the "free world."
Not much of real interest tomorrow unless everyone wants to read about my housecleaning adventures and what's on the menu for dinner. So I'm off to bed.
2 comments:
Hmmm.. in answer to your first question, about morality and such, I would say, you just need to explain the long version of what you think is right, any answer you give which has a simple "because of ?" answer is going to be unsatisfactory, whether the ? is god, it's good for the markets, my mum always said so... of course, people are going to disagree on the details like they always had, and that's why we have governments and elections and discussions and blogs etc..
to cut a long comment short, I don't really know.
LOL. That pretty much sums up every on-line conversation I've read or been involved in: sort of wander around in a circle and end up back at the starting point.
It's a tough question. I certainly have no desire for the "good ol' days" of the Holy Roman Empire or modern-day imam-led governments. Here in the states we have the Declaration and Constitution that serve as a starting point, but those are in turn based on assumptions and bald assertions that were shared by a nearly-homogeneous group of white, Anglo Protestants. That hardly makes it some sort of universal doctrine.
Like you, I don't really know. I do derive a certain amount of amusement from the posturing of those that are So Sure This Is Wrong because, well, um, ya know, everyone just knows [fill in the blank] is wrong.
Of course, religion/revelation can certainly be twisted, but a shared belief system and/or writings act as an anchor to drag everyone back to at least basic consensus. Without that, then...... ???
So yea. Don't know. And now my head hurts. I need to lie down.
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