Deontology, Consequentialism, and the Origins of Virtue

A discussion on the origins of virtuous behavior and a comparison of the three main schools of ethical thought.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• virtue
• ethics
• honesty
• deontology
• consequentialism
• egoism
• Objectivism
• Aristotelianism
• rational
• self-interest

[AnarchoSolipsist]

Do you think we can determine objectively somekind of hierarchy of values? Can we logically criticize goals themselves, instead of just pointing out the most efficient way of achieving them?

[XOmniverse]

I think so, yes.

[444DeanMachine]

actually most psychologist and new Philosophical-psychologist, believe that we aren't born with "virtuous" behavior, but that we are born with pretty much a will to survive and... dare I say... a will to power, which usually when looked at through the crazy goggles of virtuousness, leans on the side of "evil" because to truly will to power is evil by most virtuous belief systems.

[XOmniverse]

Human beings have more to gain from peaceful interaction than violent interaction. It follows, then, that a will to survive should naturally lead to peaceful interaction.

[qtronman]

How do you explain total, full-blown criminality, in light of your "tendency towards virtue"?

[XOmniverse]

Total, full-blown criminality is a small minority of people. So natural variation would seem to explain this.

I should note that I'm not denying volition at all. Arguing that there is a starting point for volitional thought is not the same as denying it completely.

[D4Shawn]

Is your wife available, or is she all booked up?

[D4Shawn]

So... if we just define "lying" as "not lying", everything is ok.

And... if we define anything that contradict your argument as a "special case", then once again, everything is ok.

I must say qtardman, I have to admire your tactics. They make no sense, and completely lack intellectual integrity, but heck... at least you're always right!

[ResolutionismTube]

@De4sher

Its funny, because you did explain yourself...sorry, just FYI lol.

[ResolutionismTube]

@XOmniverse

Thanks for posting this video. This was put up a few years ago, I'm wondering how you feel about all of this now. Have your own views solidified over the years, or have you begun to see things a different way?

[De4sher]

@De4sher no, i actually don't care to explain my self.

you should have been the one that thought things through a little better in the first place.If everyone is honest and thus authentic, how is lying making you inauthentic?

And what does authenticity have to do with self esteem? If it has that much of an impact on your self esteem, it means that one of your biggest concerns is wanting to feel special... which places you in the same basket with all the 14 year olds. way to be authentic.

[fede2]

@De4sher non-sequitur. care to explain yourself?

[De4sher]

@fede2 if your authenticity has anything to do with your self esteem, you must be a person who has no job, no friends and no balls.

[fede2]

honesty is the best policy because in purposefully hiding the truth, even if it works out in my favor, i am compromising my authenticity and in doing so my self esteem as well.

[AfricanPrince]

After finishing your video, a minor disagreement is with 1) your use of the term "lower" animal and 2) you claim that the genes that benefit a species survive, true, but the individual gene is the unity of natural selection, not the species as a whole.

[icfnord]

humans are definitely hard wired towards ethical behavior, everyone that it is who does not have an anti-social personality disorder.

It's called empathy, and it's the only reason the human race evolved to their superior position on earth in the first place.

Empathy is what makes mammals (and humans in particular) the most successful form of life on this planet.

[fungku777]

...to know for sure if these attributes arise more from sociological conditioning or genetics. Suffice it to say, both are contributing factors. Genetically, for example, an individual could be genetically geared towards a dysfunctional frontal lobe, which would cause problems in discerning virtue. What is the true and good of this situation?

[fungku777]

"I think that xomniverse's idea here is similar to that of Aquinas when he said that human beings are naturally oriented toward the true and the good."

Sounds good in theory. Problem is, unless we can discern what is 'true and good' on a universal level, we are merely pissing into a bottomless pit. What is true is what we can observe as such through study and practice.

Take genetics. There are too few real studies on the nature of violent offenders...(cont.)..