Prager University: Actions Matter (Not Thoughts)

[ArodienX]

Are you a Muslim?

[Ogram1000]

....But Jesus took commandments a step further to OUR thoughts...IF(conditional)you look with lust YOU Have committed adultery IN THE HEART. IF you HATE....YOU Have committed Murder...Thoughts do play a part in our lives....

[NewUser21111]

Score 3 credits for me!

[Ruspanic]

@arccotangent

"Good" is pretty subjective. Prager isn't saying that Nazis' intention to kill the Jews was meritorious, he is saying that the Nazis did not intend to do things they considered evil and abhorrent. They tried to do what they THOUGHT was good - because, obviously, their values were quite a bit different from yours or mine or Dennis Prager's.

[mariomoncole103]

I love Prager; he's the only righty I listen to. It's his simplicity that I appreciate. But sometimes he is TOO simplistic. Most outcomes are the result of intentions. You go on a date with the pretty girl because you INTENTIONALLY asked her out. You score a goal because you INTENTIONALLY kicked the ball. And you receive a paycheck because you INTENTIONALLY went to work and did your job.

Let's give more credit to those that INTEND to do things.

[asimov231]

Feelings are feelings. Unless they are volitionally accepted and attached to, they are only arising and passing phenomena perceivable in consciousness.

[stockinettestitch]

Is it wrong that I laughed when the lady in the chair got zapped? lol

[arccotangent]

The Nazi's intentions were to kill all of the Jews. How is that good intentions? There is no such thing as bad good intentions. There is the intention to do something right or the intention to do something wrong. Wanting to do right is good intentions. Wanting to kill another race because you believe you are superior and you think you would be happier without their stink around, is selfish and the opposite of Love... bad intentions.

[chrstilen5]

Can we pleace have you as the leader of the USA? :D

[HuiCL]

Both actions and thoughts matter. Heart and mind influence the outcomes together. One gets what one saws. Dictators are in for the power and they just claim that they are doing for greater good; otherwise, who would follow them? Bad hearts cannot produce true good actions, maybe actions seem to be good at the beginning, but the true colour will show. What about good hearts that produce bad actions? Really? You really know inner most thoughts and the most secret part of hearts of ppl?

[sdejanip]

While Dennis' argument is very coherent, i feel that his suggestion i not entirely realistic. Presumably 'bad' intentions/motivations would tend to result more often in 'bad outcome. Furthermore, there is the consequentialism's notion of "the end justifying all mean' whereby, goodness is judged purely by the result rather than the intention or the mean.

[themonkeywrench]

I mostly agree with this, except when he says that good intentions don't matter if your actions are bad. I'm not sure about this. If you defend your family against an attacker (good intentions) but end up killing the person, that is a bad outcome because someone is dead. So I'm not sure...

[3sierra15]

@1212surface Do you remember what New Testament figure said, "It is by our actions that we are put right with God, and not by our faith alone?"

[3sierra15]

Mr. Prager, a few days ago 1212surface accused you of deceitfully preaching Christian values under a facade of intellectualism. The folly in that groundless outburst is now apparent, and 1212surface has made a complete about-face and no longer defends it. So, in all fairness, I think 1212surface owes you an apology. I hope and expect to see it here soon.

[3sierra15]

@1212surface Criticizing Prager actually amounts to shooting the messenger. He didn't invent the idea. For example, C.S. Lewis likewise believed that actions, not thoughts, are what matter. In fact, he warned against "wasting time" fretting about whether you love your neighbor. If you want to love him, he said, act as if you did and presently you really will. Is the silliness of challenging 2000 years of practical religious wisdom becoming clear?

[3sierra15]

@1212surface If anyone’s going to judge Prager’s point of view by the scriptures, and do a workmanlike job of it, it’s pretty hard to ignore what the apostle James says - that faith without works is dead. That’s exactly what Prager is saying. Wishing your poor, hungry neighbor a nice day won't make a difference - feeding him will.

[3sierra15]

@1212surface So we should pray. Bless you, but that's not exactly a revelation. Nor should it be a revelation that it takes a lifetime to distinguish the Holy Spirit's voice from the voices of our digestion, or the weather, or our hormones. In the meantime, a wise person would use God's gift of common sense and honestly admit that Prager has a point. And if I may say so, a wise person would avoid sneaking politics into the discussion.

[3sierra15]

@1212surface I would pray, too. But I would pray for strength to honor the fifth commandment, which says nothing about waiting for good intentions before honoring your parents. The son's behavior is exactly what that commandment asks. Prager is correct is applauding him.

[3sierra15]

@1212surface So what should have Prager said to the son who called him?

[3sierra15]

So, 1212surface, which surgeon would YOU choose?

[artashes999]

I kind of disagree. If you start to believe that something is ok to think about.... in the end your ideas and values will start to change, I know that's what happened to me in the past.

For example, I would start thinking that homework in school is pointless and practice won't boost up my knowledge much for the time i spent into it, but i still would do it. However, as time passed I started to convince myself and believe that idea at a greater scale, so i stopped doing most of my homework.

[snkhuong]

very helpful speech. btw does prager university really exist ? Where is it

[Pomiferous]

@snkhuong I'm sure it is unfunded by tax based resources.Thus, there are no federal guidlines to be conformed to.Leaving Dennis totaly in charge of the free course.

[bernardrichards]

Dennis Prager is wrong again by making simplistic arguments on complex issues. EVIL THOUGHTS OFTEN LEAD TO EVIL ACTIONS, and are indicative of a character fault(s) even if they don't. The Tenth Commandment (Thou shall not covet...) is all about evil thoughts. God would not have commanded it if evil thoughts don't matter or if they can not be controlled. The rabbinic philosophers like Ibn Ezra, Chofetz Chaim, Hirsch, etc. discuss this issue in depth.

[xexixk]

@bernardrichards That is all Prager does - make very simplistic and weak arguments. Have you hever read any of his writting? The lack of critical thinking, faulty logic and just generally poor writing abilities are astounding.

[bernardrichards]

@xexixk I was upset when I wrote that because that because he made a huge error in this case. But to be fair he made some good videos (without major errors) in Praeger University. And he knows how to make entertaining videos on interesting topics so I would commend him on that. I don't have the time to read the writings of popular thinkers like Mr. Prager. I stick to top Torah and theistic philosophers like Aristotle (my favorite philosopher in this class.) (Cont.)

[bernardrichards]

@xexixk

Checkout the Philosophy of Happiness. Google "The Happiness Show" because I caught DP making a serious in that area as well in his video "Key to Happiness and Goodness". In any case, DP tries, and it is much easier to be an armchair critic like myself so I shouldn't pat myself on the back.

[xexixk]

@bernardrichards I don't read his column regularly, just here and there. You should read his one that is basically a quasi-endorsement of marital rape. I saw his happiness video. The basic premise of that seems to be that people should pretend to be happy even if they are not. I for one am not a robot, sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm not happy. That's normal. Deluding oneself and pretending to be one thing when they are felling antother is unhealthy.

[xexixk]

@bernardrichards Also, he seems to imply that one should act happy no matter what is happening or going on in their lives. Some how I imagine that if he were to suddenly lose his career, money and home he would not be happy, nor would he be in a mood to pretend that he was happy.

[bernardrichards]

@xexixk That I can't fault him on. That is a standard psychological technique to have one's outer behavior influence one's mood. It is though difficult to apply when one sustained a serious loss with the worst loss being the loss of a loved one. Check the Happiness Show for a discussion of this technique and my comments on this point in the "Key to Happiness and Goodness" video.

[xexixk]

@bernardrichards I'll check it out. I have to say i think this cult of postive thinking is rather dangerous and harmeful - it creates people who live in denial of reality and live only in fantasy. Telling a cancer patient, for example, to be positive - what exactly does that mean? My reaction would be sadness, maybe some anger, fear - but I wouldn't delude myself in to believe that everything will be ok if I just remain 'positive.'

[SmithsnMoz]

So many people hate Dennis Prager.. They see him only as a Conservative talk show host!!! I wish there was someone like him on the Left.... O'h YEA there is someone like him for the LEFT...His name is Bill Mahr...

[amirbiran]

what about the tenth commandment? it there a flaw in the most importent collection of rules of the bible?

[lakeeriejew]

@amirbiran

According to most Jewish authorities, the Tenth commandment is only violated when an action (theft, bribery extortion etc.) is taken to get something that isn't yours.

The thought alone is not the sin, although it helps to practice not to lust.

[erin1276]

If we lived our lives thinking through our emotional impulses we would make better choices. People who let themselves live based on their feelings generally lead chaotic and many time unhappy lives and don't understand why. He isn't saying NOT to feel, simply to THINK. Don't let your emotions rule you. Religion and government use EMOTION to gain authority in our lives IE- YES WE CAN! Pure emotional. Yes We Can, what? HOPE and CHANGE! Hope and change what? Sure- feel all you want- just think too.

[Nevo1568]

as we shut down the flow of our emotions and heart we will cause an energy blocks in our system that will very soon become some form of illness – ether mentally or physically. The other point to mention is that if we can’t trust our hearts we become susceptible to look for other authorities to tell us what to do. i.e religion, government and other institutions that we place above us.

[Nevo1568]

Deny your heart and feelings … a sure way to become ether insane or lifeless.

And please tell us – how would you know what is the right thing to do if not with your heart?

The right way is to align the two… we need to be able to trust our hearts. Yes we do need to heal the wounds that make us “feel” like doing bad things. But your suggestion that we need not trust our hearts is very dangerous. . It may make us ‘behave good’ whatever that means?... but the side effects are catastrophic!

[LankyPolack]

I agree with McStringz.

[roudy1689]

@LankyPolack you and me both!!

[xexixk]

Dennis Prager also defened Mel Gibson after his notorious drunken foul anti-semitic rant, even though Prager is Jewish. It seems for Prager, as long as one identifies with the right, as Gibson does, they can say whatever foul things they want and he will come along and defend them. Had this been someone on the other side of spectrum who said what Gibson said, Prager would have been up in arms over it. He is just a shill for the far right, and not a very bright one at that.

[taraz808]

@xexixk G-d judge hearts, men judge actions. (c) Dennis Prager

[xexixk]

@taraz808 Sorry, when someone makes comments like Mel Gibson made they deserve to be condemned and the fact of the matter is, if it had been someone of a diferent political leaning than Gibson who made those comments Prager would have jumped all over them.

[monkeygirlmom]

Someone might be offended by this candor but I love it!!!! I think Prager University should be required video in all public schools ... Ethics 101. Thank you DP!!'

[CheesyBanana2009]

thanks dennis, this really helped me :) God bless you

[BarthBunzel]

Action matters, from a talk show host and writer. Ironic

[itreeye]

@BarthBunzel

"Action matters, from a talk show host and writer. Ironic"

Why ironic? The action a writer takes is putting his thoughts down and then doing the work required to share them. A host needs to study the issues (studying is a verb) he's going to talk about and most importantly, communicate the best of his thoughts effectively. The best of Dennis for me is that he's inspired me to act happy at times when I'd rather mope and take out my mood on others. Doing this has made me happier.

[93N39]

"The tree is known by its fruit." You'd think this guy has been studying Jesus.

[squidvaulter9]

Dennis Prager is the best person to listen to when one feels uncertain of themselves; he helps one understand life better :)

[legalbeagle26]

LOL Alfred Dorkus! ROTFL I love you dennis!

[Itcanbedone1]

Actions do speak louder than words. You are what you do.  And to link two videos, if you are grateful, you will have the right actions!!

[Paatrikklives]

What I get from this video is how I can apply it practically to my own life. At the moment, I don't see myself as a good or a bad person; only time will tell.

Everyday I'm faced with choices. Should I be angry around someone just because I feel bad or should I take a second and THINK about the other person (acting on my conscience instead of my feelings)? It is up to everyone to find out what is good and moral, and to try to live by those standards instead of being directed by feelings.

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

Intentions don't matter? So if I intend to kill you but fail, then that doesn't matter? On the other hand, if a surgeon accidentally kills some of his patients during extremely risky operations, then he's in the same camp as serial killer?

No Prager, you are wrong, and you are committing one of mankinds classic mistakes. You are oversimplifying life.

Actions AND intentions matter, and other things matter too.

[DonTruman]

Bill,

Using a less ugly example of stealing: "so if I intend to steal something but fail, then it doesn't matter"?

It's not the intention to steal that results in harm. It's the actual stealing that does the harm. If you didn't go through with it, then no harm done.

As for a surgeon who performs a risky operation and it's not a success, there's nothing necessarily wrong with that, presuming they understood the risks involved and concluded it was worth it. Nothing unethical was done.

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

The action is what causes the benefit or harm, but the intention behind that action defines a person. It's what separates a cold-blooded killer form a negligent fool. It's what separates an genuinely good person from from a lucky person.

[DonTruman]

"The action is what causes the benefit or harm"

And that's what matters most to the rest of humanity. If you intended to cause benefit, but instead caused harm, then obviously you were wrong. A person of good character will learn from that experience and change his *actions*, AND accept guilt, AND try to make reparations for the damage done. He won't say, "oh well, I didn't intend to do that, so it doesn't matter to me...

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

I agree with all of that. Intentions still matter though. If I accidentally bump into you in the hall, it doesn't make me as bad a person as if I purposely bump into you. Even though the harm done to you is the same.

[DonTruman]

How would the other person know the difference? By the actions that follow:

Bad Guy: Sadistic look on his face, a chuckle, and then he keeps on walking.

Good Guy: Apologizes, and then tries to be more careful where he's walking so that it doesn't happen again.

The bad guy caused harm, the good guy didn't (the apology is all that's necessary to repair that mistake).

But then let's say that The Good Guy bumped again, but didn't apologize. Would he be good in that particular instance? No.

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

This question will sum everything up. Who is a better person?

Person A: Nicest person you will ever meet. Dedicates his life to helping malaria victims by volunteering his time. Ends up saving thousands of lives.

Person B: Meanest person you will ever meet. Wins $200 million in the lottery and invests it, earning billions. Spends it on mansions, yachts, and trophy wives. Disrespects everyone. On his deathbed, accidentally donates his money to malaria research saving millions of lives.

[DonTruman]

You're reaching for it there, Bill.

The goal isn't summing up the value of a person's whole life. It's assessing day-to-day life, and what matters most: our intentions/feelings/thoughts, or what we actually *do* to/with others

Your "Person A" did a lot of good with his life, but I'm wondering how he earned a living, if he dedicated his life to volunteering

Your "Person B" sounds like a scoundrel, and his deathbed mistake sounds like it did a lot of good for others, regardless his intentions

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

Person A made a living by selling model airplanes on the side, what does it matter?!

Person B's mistake did an ENORMOUS amount of good.

You still did not answer the question.

[DonTruman]

Bill,

It's not that complex: Person B was a scoundrel, and then he accidentally did something that did a massive amount of good, regardless his intentions. E.g., the exact same quantity of benefit would have occurred if a wonderful person had willed the exact same amount, intentionally. In both instances, the act is what did the good, not the intentions.

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

You still didn't answer the question. I will do it for you.

Person A is the better person.

Even though Person A did less good for humanity, he is still a better person because he had good intentions. It's the thought that counts. Hitler didnt have good intentions btw. He wanted the best only for Germans and he hated Jews. That's not good.

If everyone in the world acted like Person A, we would be practically in paradise. If everyone acted like Person B, the world would be a miserable place.

[DonTruman]

It's their actions over their lifetimes that make the difference, not their intentions.

Now add in Person C: intends to do wonderful, good things for humanity, but the end-result of his efforts is to cause far more harm than good. How does he fit in with A and B on your whole-life-assessment scale?

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

@DonTruman Actually, the total lifetime actions of Person B were MUCH better than the total lifetime actions of Person A. Person B wiped out malaria!

As for Person C, you have to look at him in more detail. Does he intentionally kill those with viewpoints that differ? That would be a bad intention. Does he intentionally ignore risks and put people in danger? That would be a bad intention. His overarching intention is good, but how does he INTEND to carry out his goal?

[DonTruman]

"C" pushes Congress to spend trillions researching perpetual motion machines. The result of creating a perpetual motion machine would be a huge benefit for humanity. But the end-result is trillions wasted, because it's not possible.

Bottom line: we want people to DO good. That's more important than everyone intending to do good, but actually doing bad. And of course, if anyone intends to do bad, then surely he will (unless he "accidentally" does something that benefits others)

Gotta go...

[BillTheWaterDrinker]

If one is put in a position in which they can significantly influence the economy, they should be thoughtful about it. This guy clearly chose to make a decision without researching the evidence. He never intended to look at any evidence or consult expert opinions. Those are bad intentions.

[HolyTriX]

There is no better person. Everyone is equal in the eyes of God.

It's not about the amount of lives you save lol. You should read some of the parables jesus talks about in matthew

(also i highly highly doubt someone is going to donate hundreds of millions of dollars to malaria research moments before he is about to die if he is the "Meanest person you will ever meet." lol

Thats for BillTheWaterDrinker..

[cavetrollhead]

But yes, bad thought come to every mind- even bad fantasies. This man IS a good son. On the other hand, I doubt that heaven will be full of evil hearts and good "hands". Thoughts give or take momentum from actions and Visa Versa. I would rather say a fulfilled commitment to good actions is the fruit of a good soul, not the thoughts of the natural man.

[cavetrollhead]

Dennis is not Christian but this thought must also have equivalents in Judaism: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Jesus also said that good trees bring forth good fruits, so yes, it IS about actions ultimately, but we need to cultivate good thoughts and banish bad ones ASAP. I think if Dennis would acknowlege this, patparks1 and others would accept the truth of what he says.

[patparks1]

Dennis is seriously mistaken when he asserts: "Don't feel guilty when you have bad thoughts." Yes, actions are most important; yet, it is our THOUGHTS that always give rise to these actions!

[howardz43]

Doing that is not neurologically or neurotically reflexive usually is preceded by some thought. If our intentions are good, analysis of the effects of what we do tends to make our future doing more intelligently conceived.

[crosenblum]

What a great classic video.

[victoryco]

Ultimately the battle is won in the mind to choose to act good or righteous. Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:25 ... with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. The flesh can be described as our deceitful hearts as in Jeremiah 17:9

[dkarol]

Good message but the exploding mother in the wheelchair was a bit Monty Pythonesque and probably not appropriate when making a serious point.

[mejercit]

Great speech from Dennis.

[DonTruman]

Bravo! Good intentions are good to have (but as Dennis has said, who *doesn't* think he has good intentions?) but we have to analyze and assess our actions once in awhile to determine if they truly *are* good.

I suppose that's all part of growing up: recognizing that things you *thought* were good, weren't so good after all and/or could stand to be modified. But again, that comes from analyzing actions and their effects, not intentions.

[Pomiferous]

From one pragmatist to another. This is one of your best teachings. I would also like to see you do one of these. On the importance of compartmentalizing emotions.Good day

[dirksilver]

didn't like the effects so much but the message itself was good

it's supports my belief that people would rather be bankrupt than dead if it came down to it with healthcare...i'll take more expensive life saving care over crappier free healthcare everyday

profit motive is an excellent motive indeed!

[romeo505050]

Wait, i thought twisted thoughts preceded the idea that killing Jews is good...

[nomorepushingusdown]

@romeo505050, the notion of 'twisted' resides in the thinker.  The antisemite that kills a Jew THINKS he/she is doing good. Those who are not insane believe it is evil. This quote sums it up well:

"Those who commit great acts of evil must first think they are doing great good." - Alexander Soltzenitzin

[tilhon]

I totally agree, even though I think that american actions around the world have cause so much more suffering than the actions of Cuba, North Korea or The Soviet Union. But that's a totally different topic. Go Prager!

[McStringz]

I truly believe Professor Prager is one of the wisest, and most intelligent men living on Earth today.

[arronnov]

He's very ignorant not wise!

[howardz43]

You are right, itreeye. Arronnov hasn't a clue as to what exactly!

[controledinsanity]

@McStringz Then you don't know many people

[TheJediCharles]

Wonderfu!

Only, the music/effects were a little too loud compared to Dennis' voice, in terms of levels.

The message however, was perfect. :)