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Ironic, given that it's one of the oldest philosophical positions. E.g. Socrates in Plato's Gorgias: "We must either refute this argument and show that it’s no
by bscphil 5y ago
Ironic, given that it's one of the oldest philosophical positions. E.g. Socrates in Plato's Gorgias:
"We must either refute this argument and show that it’s not the possession of justice and self-control that makes happy people happy and the possession of badness that makes miserable people miserable, or else, if this is true, we must consider what the consequences are. These consequences are all those previous things, Callicles, the ones about which you asked me whether I was speaking in earnest when I said that a man should be his own accuser, or his son’s or his friend’s, if he’s done anything unjust, and should use oratory for that purpose. ... I deny, Callicles, that being knocked on the jaw unjustly is the most shameful thing, or that having my body or my purse cut is, and I affirm that to knock or cut me or my possessions unjustly is both more shameful and worse, and at the same time that to rob or enslave me or to break into my house or, to sum up, to commit any unjust act at all against me and my possessions is both worse and more shameful for the one who does these unjust acts than it is for me, the one who suffers them."
- knodi123 5y agoI'm picturing a bruised and bloodied mugging victim at the police station filing a report, and a detective reassures him, "Could be worse! Spare a thought for the vastly worse-off mugger, who had to actually do all those horrible things to you!"
- bscphil 5y agoThe view is a bit more complicated than that, but you gave me a laugh. Thanks!