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3leggedfrog · 09-08-2003, 07:42 PM

hmmm had to think for a while Cynthetiq on your post. thanks. your view of good is a personalistic view. making us better by examining our values. while this is a really great idea (and i must confess i took your advice and wrote down my values) this just proves to that all good has some selfish intent. for this ethic, the intent to improve oneself.

i just finished reading a post about a man who gave macdonalds to a homeless person. i must ask myself what was his intent. is this a true act of goodness. i hope so but i am too pessimistic about that. was he trying to make himself feel better because he gave food to one who was in need? was he reliving a bad moment in his life and trying to make it better? was he trying to hedge his bets in favor of going to haven or some other perfect otherworld. was he doing it because someone told him too.

i give a beer and five dollars to the homless people i find by my apartment. why do i do this? because i hope he\she will use the money to buy something they need. homless people dont always need just food a passing homless person once told me. what is my intent for doing this act of kindness. approval of my peers if they are around if not then pitty. i feel sorry for the down and out and to make myself feel better i give them something that i hope wil make their life better. to me this is selfish. i do this because i want to feel better. the homless person makes me sad and giving money to him/her makes me happy. yes, it is a "good" act but am i doing this act because i want to be happy. is this good? the act is but motivation?

take that happyness away and will i still give that homless person a beer and five dollars? let me give you an example, would you give a homeless person money or food if you knew he was going to sell it to buy meth or crack or whatever? by giving this person money or food and knowing that the result will be not happiness would you still do it.

or a better example what happens if you see that same homless person over and over again would you stil buy that person lunch?

i am way to pessimistic. should we care for the motivation of a good deed? what happens when that motivation is gone. will we still do a good deed?

my worst mistake was studying psychology and philosophy it made me pessimistic.

09-08-2003, 07:42 PM	#15 (permalink)
3leggedfrog Psycho Location: Hiding from the penguins they come to take my sanity away!	hmmm had to think for a while Cynthetiq on your post. thanks. your view of good is a personalistic view. making us better by examining our values. while this is a really great idea (and i must confess i took your advice and wrote down my values) this just proves to that all good has some selfish intent. for this ethic, the intent to improve oneself. i just finished reading a post about a man who gave macdonalds to a homeless person. i must ask myself what was his intent. is this a true act of goodness. i hope so but i am too pessimistic about that. was he trying to make himself feel better because he gave food to one who was in need? was he reliving a bad moment in his life and trying to make it better? was he trying to hedge his bets in favor of going to haven or some other perfect otherworld. was he doing it because someone told him too. i give a beer and five dollars to the homless people i find by my apartment. why do i do this? because i hope he\she will use the money to buy something they need. homless people dont always need just food a passing homless person once told me. what is my intent for doing this act of kindness. approval of my peers if they are around if not then pitty. i feel sorry for the down and out and to make myself feel better i give them something that i hope wil make their life better. to me this is selfish. i do this because i want to feel better. the homless person makes me sad and giving money to him/her makes me happy. yes, it is a "good" act but am i doing this act because i want to be happy. is this good? the act is but motivation? take that happyness away and will i still give that homless person a beer and five dollars? let me give you an example, would you give a homeless person money or food if you knew he was going to sell it to buy meth or crack or whatever? by giving this person money or food and knowing that the result will be not happiness would you still do it. or a better example what happens if you see that same homless person over and over again would you stil buy that person lunch? i am way to pessimistic. should we care for the motivation of a good deed? what happens when that motivation is gone. will we still do a good deed? my worst mistake was studying psychology and philosophy it made me pessimistic. __________________ "enjoy life to the brim but do not spill it" quoted off my tatoo "Iam myself every day."