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

To: The Philosopher who wrote (60475)	10/1/2002 2:43:48 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Do you also agree with me about the difference between social nicieties which grease the wheels of inter-personal behaviors, and social responsibilities or duties? To a certain extent. I would answer your question to Neo in terms of a social contract, to which you alluded early in the discussion. We have different contracts with different people. We have formal and fairly specific contracts with spouses, for example. I would say that, inherent in that contract, there's a duty to apologize when we fall short. If two people agree to meet for lunch at noon and one is late, I see a duty to apologize because a contract has been broken. I don't think we have any duties where there is no contract although it is in all our best interest to honor certain implied expectations that relate to general human dignity, like stopping to help someone who falls on the sidewalk in front of us. Much of what Neo was describing as duty seemed to me more like meeting the expectations of others. I see no duty at all to do that although one needs to be cognizant of the risks to one's self-interest in blowing off the expectations of others, no matter how unreasonable. Tending to the niceties is not a duty, IMO, but basic self interest. Regarding SI, of course there's the contract with the site that obligates us to honor the TOU. I think our duty is greater than that because I see further contracts. If we walk into a bar and chat up the denizens, if we say "hello" and shake hands, there is an implied contract that we are friendly, that the other parties are not longer strangers. A hand shake means that we are not carrying arms. The handshake doesn't carry any obligation to meet anyone's expectations but it does mean that we aren't going to kick the barstool out from under people so they fall and crack their heads on the floor.