Say Anything #35

Those days were so fun! I joined a couple moms clubs so I could socialize while playing with my daughter. @WONDERER

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dinner frozen pizza and chip sandwhic

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Yes. The idea that morality is based on natural human sentiment is a well-established philosophical tradition known as moral sentimentalism

. Pioneered by thinkers like David Hume and Adam Smith, this view argues that our moral judgments stem from innate emotions (like empathy, compassion, and guilt) rather than pure abstract logic. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Key Arguments for Sentimentalism

  • Evolutionary Roots: Biologically, humans are a highly cooperative, social species. Emotions like sympathy and altruism evolved to help early humans bond, survive, and protect their communities. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • Moral Foundations Theory: Psychological research shows that all cultures share basic, instinctual moral sentiments—such as reacting against harm (care) or being offended by inequality (fairness). [1, 2]
  • The Engine of Action: Reason can tell us what is happening, but emotions provide the motivation to care. Without the sentiment of empathy, knowing a person is suffering wouldn’t necessarily compel us to help them. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Limitations and Challenges

While sentiments form the foundation of morality, many philosophers argue they have limits: [1, 2, 3]

  • Partiality: Natural human empathy is usually strongest for our family, friends, and those like us. Reason is needed to expand our “moral circle” to treat strangers and distant populations with equal fairness. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • Varying Instincts: We possess darker natural instincts (anger, tribalism, fear) that can lead to immoral behavior. Reason and societal norms help us evaluate which sentiments to act upon and which to suppress. [1, 2, 3, 4]
  • No Universal Facts: Basing morality on sentiment often leads to moral relativism, meaning there are no permanent, objective moral “truths,” just shared human feelings. [1, 2]

Ultimately, most modern ethicists view morality as a partnership: natural human sentiment provides the foundation and drive for ethics, while reason and culture help us structure, guide, and expand those feelings into consistent moral rules.

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s famous philosophy states that children are inherently good and uncorrupted by nature. He argued that if a child does “wrong,” it is because society’s artificial expectations, vanity, and strict control have warped their natural development, not because of some innate human evil. [1, 2, 3]

Rousseau details this in his philosophical treatise Emile, or On Education through several core concepts: [1, 2, 3]

  • Inherent Goodness: Rousseau rejected the traditional belief that children are born sinful. To him, a child’s natural impulses are innocent and self-preserving. [, 2]
  • Corruption of Society: All vices, selfishness, and destructive behaviors are learned from social structures that teach competition, comparison, and the desire for social approval. [1, 2]
  • Dependence on Things (Not Men): Rousseau proposed “negative education”. Instead of imposing adult rules or teaching abstract morality, a tutor should let the child learn directly from the natural consequences of their environment (e.g., if a child touches a hot stove, nature teaches them not to do it again). [1, 2, 3]
  • Strength over Weakness: Rousseau believed that “all wickedness comes from weakness”. Children only resort to manipulation, pouting, or lying when they are subjected to arbitrary adult control. If raised to be physically strong, self-sufficient, and governed only by the natural limits of the world, they will have no desire or need to do wrong.
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Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals establishes morality on pure, universal reason rather than personal desires or historical customs. He argues that a “good will”—acting purely out of duty—is the only intrinsically good thing, and that objective moral obligations are defined by the Categorical Imperative. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Kant’s ethical framework is built on several interconnected core principles:

1. Duty and the Good Will

Kant argues that talents, wealth, and courage can be used for evil; therefore, they are not unconditionally good. A good will is the only thing good in itself. To act with a good will, one must act strictly out of duty (respect for moral law), rather than from personal inclination, fear of punishment, or hope for reward. For instance, a person who preserves their life out of duty acts morally, whereas a person who preserves their life simply because they love living has no distinct moral credit for it.

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Today I piddlefarted

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Saying humans are “ends” comes from the philosopher Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative. It means every person possesses inherent value and dignity. We are beings with our own lives and goals, so we should never be used merely as a “means to an end” (a tool or stepping stone) to achieve someone else’s objectives.

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Utilitarianism is a moral theory stating that the best action is the one that maximizes overall happiness, well-being, or “utility”. Yes, classical utilitarianism is a specific form of hedonism—specifically, universal or social hedonism—because it defines “good” as the maximization of pleasure and the minimization of pain. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

While psychological or personal hedonism seeks pleasure for the individual, utilitarian hedonism evaluates the consequences of actions on everyone affected. As a utilitarian, you must weigh your own happiness equally with the happiness of others

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Wouldn’t it be cool if I built an outhouse in my front yard? @Montezuma

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LOL You’d get all the babes if you did. :laughing:

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Dostoyevsky’s the idiot. Can a good man cause more harm than good due to their goodness simplicity without being aware of consequences. Just a good soul over interfering.

  1. The Road to Hell: Because Myshkin lacks worldly wisdom and has no concept of consequence or boundaries, his well-intentioned interventions frequently cause catastrophic harm. His pure intentions lead directly to the psychological destruction of the women he tries to save and bring out the violent tendencies in others. [1, 2, 3, 5]
  2. The Eternal Youth: Some philosophers classify him as an “eternal youth” who is so caught up in his abstract ideals that he lacks the grounded, realistic judgment required to actually do good in a messy, complex world.
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That’s enough philosophizing

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I quit ap i don t want to get blind

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New tears came up after not taking quetiapine

But phone also dry eyes alot see you later

So much reclaiming territory business lately. China wants Taiwan, Russia wants Ukraine, and I am afraid for my American friends that the United Kingdom will reclaim North America :zany_face:

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time 2 hit d sack

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Heyyy Kiddos.

Not much going on here. I signed some paperwork with management earlier today to finalize my lease. My rent went up 7 dollars lol. These are the breaks. Got my new hat just now. I really dig it a lot. Been having some serious snuggle sessions with Mr. Jimmy. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

The heat here is terrible today. Stay cool my American friends.

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Hey @Montezuma glad you got your hat and your lease only went up a little bit. Thankful for ac today!

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