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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (17407)	6/26/2001 3:06:33 PM
From: The Philosopher	Respond to of 82486

But the examples you cite are still based on moral beliefs. The imposition of helmet laws is based on the moral belief that I have the right to tell you what to do, and/or that I have a duty to protect you from yourself. It's not just power, it's power with a principle, power which carries out some moral principle I want to impose. They just want to do everything they want and don't want other people to do things they don't like and think that the law is there to enforce their prerogatives. But they have to believe that they are in the RIGHT. Which is a moral belief distinguishing right from wrong. Nobody that I know ever said "I know it's wrong to force people to wear helmets but I want to pass a law saying that anyhow."

To: Lane3 who wrote (17407)	6/26/2001 3:10:45 PM
From: The Philosopher	Respond to of 82486

Addition to previous response: Because, in the beginning, we started out with primitive people who couldn't distinguish between celestial and earthly authorities and we haven't fully differentiated yet. Except that the atheists on this thread have insisted in many, many discussions that they have a moral sense and moral principles also, and that not all morality has to come from celestial authorities. So while initially your analysis might have been correct, even pure atheists will claim moral belief, and the right to pass laws which enforce those moral beliefs. Indeed, they will often claim that their moral beliefs are superior because them are intellectually derived, not based on some book or superstition handed down over generations.