4 ms·
Please, let's not build the habit of disregarding ideas because we don't like the mouth they come from. If an idea is good it's good, if it's flawed it's flawed
by Taywee 5y ago
Please, let's not build the habit of disregarding ideas because we don't like the mouth they come from. If an idea is good it's good, if it's flawed it's flawed. Ideas should be able to stand or fall by their own merit. I'm not going to defend the Unabomber's actions, but I don't agree that we should disregard every thought he ever had because he's a terrorist; that's a cop out and not a convincing one at that.
It's also reductive, as the situation with Kaczynski is a hell of a lot more complex than "deranged terrorist". We aren't doing anybody any favors, least of all ourselves, by reducing history and people to the simplest headlines that don't represent any of the nuances of reality.
- darkerside 5y agoWhen someone is mailing bombs to people, airing their grievances starts to feel like a moral hazard.
- pfortuny 5y agoJust a piece of unsolicited advise: either morality should not be defined by feelings. These are not universal. There are lots of things which feel good but can be bad (like saying yea to a child’s desire) and vice-versa (like saying no to a child’s desire).
- darkerside 5y agoCare to expand? I don't think your point really got through here
- mmmpop 5y agoWhen someone engages in sexual activities with underage people, we then throw out all of their positive contributions to society. OH wait
- darkerside 5y agoIf they were doing it as a publicity stunt to get their contributions noticed? Then yes, I think there is a good argument for doing so because of moral hazard. Doing otherwise incentivizes undesirable behavior in the other people who have made similar contributions but haven't achieved infamy.