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

To: cosmicforce who wrote (33128)	10/15/2001 9:48:12 PM
From: Michael M	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Would it be ethical if desert island guy killed a bunch of fish everyday, just to relieve the boredom? Would it be ethical if he destroyed large stones engraved with marks of an earlier resident or civilization? Would it be ethical if he destroyed the perfectly preserved skeleton of some large strange animal? What if a huge bomb had washed ashore with him? Could he end it all by blowing himself and the whole island up? I believe desert island guy is stuck with the ethics he arrived with - along with his understanding of the wider world.

To: cosmicforce who wrote (33128)	10/15/2001 10:15:49 PM
From: St_Bill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

I used to use that example. But you have to make it stronger: On a desert island, alone -- no God either -- surrounded by a STERILE sea with only a plastic palm tree for company, what wrong can you do? Not much. Not anything. Neither masturbation nor suicide would count as no-no's since these activities (at least one of which is short-lived), usually are said to offend God, who's not around. So some would argue that under these circumstances suicide is the only noble thing left, once you've had your fill of the other thing. Ethics, by definition, is therefore not a private matter.

To: cosmicforce who wrote (33128)	10/16/2001 9:59:13 AM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Cosmic, Ethics is the area of philosophy that deals with the study of the nature of morals, and moral ideas and choices. If you think there is anything morally wrong that a person can do without other people around then yes a person can be unethical on a desert island by himself. You might argue that a person can not do anything wrong by himself, but ethics is not by definition a group dynamic, it deals with all moral issues. dictionary.com