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> Don't assume that Facebook will pick good over evil The first step is to realize that there is no such thing as good or evil, just what like-minded people c
by garmaine 8y ago
> Don't assume that Facebook will pick good over evil
The first step is to realize that there is no such thing as good or evil, just what like-minded people choose or have been conditioned to see as good or evil. So saying that "Facebook will always do good and/or avoid evil" doesn't even make sense. Good according to whom? Evil according to whom? And since there ARE differences of opinion in those definitions, it will at some point be the case that whatever Facebook does do is something YOU would consider not-good, maybe even evil, even if the people who make up Facebook's decision making process legitimately think they are doing good. So you don't even have to be pessimistic or cynical for this argument to fall flat.
- nostromo95 8y agoYour moral relativism argument might be relevant if everyone in this thread didn’t already have a shared understanding of what good/evil mean in the context of facebook and this discussion.
- sbmassey 8y agoCan you summarise what that shared understanding is?
- malandrew 8y agoI'm sure numerous groups that you believe are evil have a shared understanding of good/evil in this context and others that does not agree with your own. If you really want to practice empathy, you need to also practice empathy with those that you believe are evil. I'm certain that most of those people believe they are doing good.
- contrast 8y agoYou do have to be pessimistic or cynical to think that the words good and evil have no real meaning, or even if they do then it’s not worth trying to use them because nothing is perfect and clear. Refusing to deal with nuance and disagreement in a complex world might even be a good practical definition of pessimism. It’s a catch all “what’s the point of even trying?” excuse.
- garmaine 8y agoI believe you have it backwards. Believing the words good and evil “have real meaning” is “refusing to deal with nuance and disagreement in a complex world.”