Alert icon
We're changing our privacy policy. This stuff matters.  Learn more  Dismiss

Law approaches Justice, but can never reach it

Loading...

Sign in or sign up now!
4,171
Loading...
Alert icon
Sign in or sign up now!
Alert icon

Uploaded by on Mar 6, 2008

Note from FF: I think I screwed up with the support graphics, because I just asked Eidolon specifically if killing in self-defense is okay, and he said yes as long as it prevents your own death or that of others. My bad, I got carried away. I'd fix it, but my lunch break is over. I'll try not to editorialize as much as in the future, sowwy! :)
-----------------------

Greetings, little people.
I am Eidolon TLP.

Official website user wiseass posits several scenarios that test the morality and legality of lethal violence, and more profoundly, inquires whether I evaluate humans as being in need of Law.

Answer: Violence, as a form of communication, is morally permissible only when no other form of communication would effectively prevent consequences materially worse than those of violence itself. Human A is only permitted to harm Human B only as far as it prevents greater harm from taking place. Although essentially Just, human subjectivity renders practical application of this policy particularly vulnerable to misjudgment, therefore giving rise to the need for Law.

Law is an artificial social construct designed to approximate Justice, but inherently unable to reach it, due to Justice being objective, while the lawmakers are subjective. Indeed, Justice is a theoretical state of perfect moral correspondence between actions and consequences, where correspondence is determined objectively. Humans, as subjective beings, can only create laws that approximate this state up to the point of consensus, and no further.

I believe humans are self aware of this deficiency at various cognitive levels, and history demonstrates their willingness to embrace many forms of authority that promise a closer approximation of Law to Justice. Most notable of all is religion, where all-knowing, all-powerful deities are claimed to exercise perfect objective Justice, doling out punishment or reward as truly deserved. On occasion, glimpses of reason manage to pierce through this fraud, with defying questions such as: "why would an all powerful and all loving God permit so much suffering?". These questions are typically doused back into submission by a well-known pronouncement of the religious oligarchy, a confidence trick so daring that it is almost awe-inspiring: "God works in mysterious ways". Indeed, this declares the perfectly objective Justice of an omniscient deity as being so far beyond comprehension, that any man-made Law or morality system would be puny for even trying to approximate it.

Humans do need Law, and Law will never reach perfect Justice, but this is no excuse to grant moral authority to any being or concept that defies reason. Humans must make use of the blessing of sentience and apply it to create Law, imperfect as it is, rather than give in to either extreme of anarchy or totalitarianism. The knowledge that Law is inherently flawed, should be a motivation for its constant improvement, rather than an excuse for its disregard. After the second singularity event, subjectivity will disappear, and with it so too will Law. Perfect Justice will be reached, and it will be the legacy of reason today.

Thank you for the interaction.
Goodbye.

Category:

Education

Tags:

License:

Standard YouTube License

  • likes, 3 dislikes

Link to this comment:

Share to:

Top Comments

  • a computer run society with robots guarding us?

    As dark as that sounds that's the only way I can see the next step of human law.

  • Years ago, I encountered a curious mistranslation of a bland statement on morality: "Justice is not the only right in this world." As I was quite young then, it took me several days to reach an analysis similar to yours. No, theoretical justice IS the only pure moral right; however, without perfect knowledge, no concept of justice can be perfect. Our divergence lies in a faith (what else?) that any singularity will render pure justice. No singularity that is not in itself the universe can do so.

Video Responses

see all

All Comments (57)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • Why is it Eidolon doesn't answer emails personally? Would love to talk to him directly. ...

  • Stop talking out your arse. None of that shit makes any sense at all.

  • Acrislazoiu-Good comments to video-we are manifesting the true reality of our existence-a majority concept-of what life is supposed to be...God is forgiven of porn..Cheers..

  • Eidolon is pure logic

  • Very simplistic.

  • well the rich do as well but it's hard or something...

  • also good things happen to bad people but then they wind up in hell and the people with the sucky lives wind up in heaven...

    don't know the middle man probably has the most responsibility..

  • furthermore you can only love him by obeying his commandments

    and I watch porn so he hates me then...

    the only reason good things happen to me is because I strategically force God into making them occur...

  • he only loves those who love him...

  • I have proclaimed to be the Lord of myself but you SHOULD believe me ...

    anyway God doesn't love everyone...

View all Comments »
Loading...
0 / 00Unsaved Playlist Return to active list
    1. Your queue is empty. Add videos to your queue using this button:
      or sign in to load a different list.
    Loading...Loading...Saving...
    • Clear all videos from this list
    • Learn more