Mephisto2

I need to get back into the habit of posting these.

Anyway, here's your Quote of the Day for Friday, 19th March 2004.


Voltaire (1694 - 1778)
French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist





Mr Mephisto

Aletheia

Voltaire is awesome, thanks.

Orgature

For many the real trick is understand the difference between your conscience and indoctrinated hedonistic logic. "It's not indulging in drug use, it's helping releive the pain of everything else."

I think since the idea of "lesser evils" came about, the conscience has been put into serious jeapordy. Just a thought.

Mephisto2

It depends really.

Some people can, in all clear conscience, do things that I find morally repugnant. Take the death penalty for example. I don't agree with it and could not support it with a clear conscience. However, there are many "good" and "moral" people in the world who do and can.

Even though I believe their taking another human life is not justifiable, they are acting within the limits set by their conscience. They are doing what they feel "is right."

Now, having said that, this argument could be taken to extremes. What is wrong with a murderer, a thief or even a rapist claiming their actions were justifiable under their own value system? What is stopping soldiers and leaders arguing that their actions were "the fruits of war" rather than war crimes? Nothing per se. Well, nothing but the standards a society defines for itself.

The terrorists who attacked the World Trade Centre, the Madrid train system and the nightclubs in Bali undoubtedly believed in the "justice" of their actions. But I cannot agree. What we have here is a disassociation between what a society believes is right and a person believes is right. The quote above is one that I generally agree with. But a person's conscience is meaningless when it is not linked inextricably with the standards of modern societies. It is this benchmark which should be used.

Mr Mephisto