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"Expanding Our Moral Imaginations"

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SapereAude

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In last night's speech Obama (context for when this post is old- Speech about AZ shootings of judge,congress woman, several others) said Americans need to "expand our moral imaginations".

I have tried.

I cannot even begin to figure out what that could mean.

Did anyone watch/listen and fixate on this statement? Do you have any ideas about what it is supposed to mean?

The few theories I had about its meaning I had to discount because they were just too improbably ludicrous.

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Sounds like an equivalent of those who ask for "broad mindedness". While there is a certain usage that makes sense, it is sometimes used to ask people to expand their acceptance of bad ideas, to let them in alongside the good. You have so much food, a little poison won't hurt.

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As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.”

Its a call for for us to be more subjective when dealing with moral issues. Sounds like reading "Fact and Value" would benefit the President, or his speech writers at least. Its akin to saying "who are we to judge?", or "I call him a freedom fighter, you call him a terrorist." Ive found that ethically Dems are almost always subjectivists (except some regarding environmental issues), and Republicans are a mixed bag of intrinsicists/subjectivists.

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As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.

As much as I despise the man, these words are actually quite good.

... and you guys are also skilled at pulling rationalizations out of a hat ...

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"We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future," he said. "But what we can't do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another.

"As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility," he added. "Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together."

Which old assumptions are increasing the prospects of violence in the future?

From the notes of Atlas Shrugged, humility—the acceptance of one's moral imperfection, the willingness to be imperfect, which means: the indifference to moral values and to yourself,

So humility is a rejection of morality.

Do not point fingers or assign blame. Do not evaluate, identify and point out - all necessary in the realm of morality.

So far, it seems to read moral abstinence of 'judge not' which is an old assumption that ought to be challenged - rather once again, it is invoked throughout this message.

Expand our moral imagination - how, after being exhorted not to evaluate and judge, is this to be accomplished?

Sharpen our instincts for empathy? Understanding what someone else feels, or thinks - to do what with?

Our hopes and dreams are bound together? If we dream of a system under which we are free to pursue happiness - that system can bind for good or evil but without judging it to be good or evil, which stands to profit?

The words are perfectly good - the propositions leave a sour taste in my mind.

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I am trying to grasp the phrase "moral imagination".

From dictionary.com, I picked the most appropriate definitions (you don't have to trust me, go to dictionary.com and choose for yourself).

moral -- of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong

imagination -- the faculty of imagining, or of forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses.

Now it's clear, and the only thing left is the question of motive.

If Obama said these words sincerely to mean that we need to spend more time conceptualizing moral issues, in order to respect rights and work cooperatively to divide labor and share knowledge without hurting one another, great.

If instead he means to get folk to compromise their moral principles in the service of his subjective programme, he can kiss it.

But, the phrase itself is fine, IMHO.

- ico

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