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Things to keep in mind while asking moral questions.

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Hairnet

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On the board lately, I have noticed a bunch of silly morality questions being asked. I have two points I want people to keep in mind when thinking about ethical questions.

1) What caused you to think about the practice in question in a moral light? What makes it special compared to all of the things you don't put much ethical thought into?

I think that a lot of people read things written by Ayn Rand, then start looking for rules that they have to follow as though they had joined some religion. If you were thinking about something that you do and it has been working, and all of the sudden you are bothered or panicked because you think it sorta kinda might not fit with Objectivism, don't worry about it.

It is your life and reality that matters, not the ideas of others.

If something is a problem, or if you suspect that it may become a problem later, by all means investigate for your own sake, but not because someone who wrote some books of incredible worth might disapprove of it.

Morality is for you.

2) What is the context? Please never ask a question about morality without any context. "Is homosexuality wrong", "Is bestiality wrong", "Is killing another person wrong", and "Is smoking marijuana wrong" are all completely meaningless questions. I can think of situations where all of the above are dangerous and where all of the above are beneficial. If you ask these sorts of questions you are essentially playing into Kantianism, or the school of ethics known as Deontology, which is essentially ethics based off of rules or duty. This sort of ethics has enslaved and confused man kind since his genesis, and plays into the hands of moral nihilists.

The full context of a moral question would look something like this "If I want to achieve not only my survival, but my well being, should I or should I not practice this action in X context". Look at how the moral question ties three things together; the human, "If I want to achieve not only my survival, but my well being..."; the action, "Should I or should I not practice this action"; and Reality, "in X context".

This is what I view to be the essence and extraordinary accomplishment of the Objectivist ethics, the integration of reality and human action. It took me awhile to understand this, but sadly I see many people who have been Ayn Rand readers, some claiming to Objectivists, who never come to grasp this idea at all. An example of this is all of the Anarcho-Capitalists who claim to appreciate Ayn Rand's ideas.

Morality is for the real world.

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I like this post, and I hope I can expand on it somewhat.

It isn't actually that difficult to answer moral type questions around here. While validating that egoism is a proper moral system can be complicated, it can be taken for granted that rational self-interest is proper. Considering that, all that needs to be asked is "how would such and such an action affect someone's life?". Not everyone is affected by actions taken in the same way, so this is where context comes in. Depending on the question, say if it's "Is smoking marijuana immoral?" more bits of context may be required, answers to questions like "Is it for medical use?" can make a huge difference. You don't need to read about Objectivism for years to be able to answer moral questions, a principle of selfishness is nothing more than putting your life as a primary.

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There are two fundamental questions aren't there?

1. Will this action further or lessen my pursuit of happiness?

2. Will I, in following this course of action, be impairing anyone else's right to act freely of their own judgment, for their own goals, by their own voluntary, uncoerced choice?

Those two questions should cover most/all questions regarding morality (among adults) shouldn't they?

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While validating that egoism is a proper moral system can be complicated, it can be taken for granted that rational self-interest is proper. Considering that, all that needs to be asked is "how would such and such an action affect someone's life?".

There is one other vital thing to remember when thinking about moral questions: the role of principles in human life. Rational self-interest is proper, but figuring out what actually is and is not in your interest requires principles. When you ask yourself whether you should take some action, you should always be asking yourself what principle or principles apply. Reason validates the principles, and the principles allow you to evaluate the long-term consequences of actions.

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There are two fundamental questions aren't there?

1. Will this action further or lessen my pursuit of happiness?

2. Will I, in following this course of action, be impairing anyone else's right to act freely of their own judgment, for their own goals, by their own voluntary, uncoerced choice?

Those two questions should cover most/all questions regarding morality (among adults) shouldn't they?

Don't forget that the second is a corollary of the first. Respect for the rights of others is necessary for the pursuit of your own happiness if you live in human society (and if you don't, it's irrelevant).

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Don't forget that the second is a corollary of the first. Respect for the rights of others is necessary for the pursuit of your own happiness if you live in human society (and if you don't, it's irrelevant).

You're right. Most people, however, don't seem to realise that! I figured that by stating both it would avoid confusion.

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