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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank
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To: Solon who wrote (58594)9/18/2002 8:40:55 PM
From: TimF  Read Replies (1) of 82486
 
The Nazis committed terrible acts with the fully rationalized belief that they were doing good. However, one does not need to go so far as to believe one is doing good.

Some probably thought destroying Jews and others they felt where undseriable was in and of itself a good thing. Others might have thought rather the following orders from their superior was a good thing and opposing those orders a bad thing. But I'm sure that many thought they where not doing good but did evil things out of fear or just to get along or from some other motivation. Some of those that did not feel that they where doing a good thing may have thought that they where actually doing something evil but did it anyway because of social pressure or fear.

Moving away from nazis a bank robber might steal because he wants money or a rapist may rape because he wants sex, they may even think that what they are doing is morally wrong, but do it anyway because their disire for money or sex might be more powerful then there desire to do good or avoid what they see as evil. They may rationalize it - "There just a greedy company and its insured anyway", or they may not.

My arguement applies even for believers in moral relativism. Even if there is no absolute standards there are standards of socieities and individuals. And individuals do violate standards that they believe in not just standards society tells them to follow.

You or society might tell me it is good to kill the guys with no hats. But if I have qualms about that I will find a way to rationaize the goodness of it. The fact that I am transgressing an ethical norm of society does not mean I am breaking an ethic of my own.

But people do violate their own ethical ideas.

Tim
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