3 ms·

The claim that trying to do good results in evil is a well-worn trope of reactionary rhetoric, a sort-of universal argument about any collective effort at good.

The claim that trying to do good results in evil is a well-worn trope of reactionary rhetoric, a sort-of universal argument about any collective effort at good. Humans are flawed, our enterprises are flawed, and all will do both good and bad. But that is a useless, binary analysis: It means there is no pure saint or demon - no 100% or 0%; it's just simplistic philosophical theory: Nothing is pure, ok. In reality, every significant distinction is in the range 1% - 99%. Our choice - our free will and moral choice, now that we're out of Eden - is what we will do in that range. Some is easy, some is hard, some is harder. If you don't choose to work at it, you won't be doing much good. And then who will?

at_a_remove 3y ago
You missed it. I didn't say trying to do good. I was talking about the proclamation of such. Please respond to what I actually put down.
- wolverine876 3y ago
  You're right to a degree, but maybe try a bit more charm. People don't have to respond according to your strictures. :) We're social creatures. Talking is a necessary and very influential part of doing, especially if you want more than one person to do it. The pen is mightier than the sword.
  - at_a_remove 3y ago
    I think that if you are really doing well, people will seek to emulate your example. Charm amplifies whatever effect -- for good or for ill. It bypasses what passes for the blood-brain barrier and infects. My father is (or was, I am unsure if he is still alive) a tremendously charming individual. It was certainly handy when it came to talking his way out of arrests and charges, influencing people out of money, and so forth. Charm allows for an outsized influence on people, regardless of the wisdom (or lack thereof) in the approach. In business, I have seen the charming destroy departments, stunt otherwise healthy careers, and walk a company off of a cliff. Ah, but they smiled while they did it! And that's what counts, I guess.

at_a_remove 3y ago

You missed it. I didn't say trying to do good. I was talking about the proclamation of such. Please respond to what I actually put down.

wolverine876 3y ago
You're right to a degree, but maybe try a bit more charm. People don't have to respond according to your strictures. :) We're social creatures. Talking is a necessary and very influential part of doing, especially if you want more than one person to do it. The pen is mightier than the sword.
- at_a_remove 3y ago
  I think that if you are really doing well, people will seek to emulate your example. Charm amplifies whatever effect -- for good or for ill. It bypasses what passes for the blood-brain barrier and infects. My father is (or was, I am unsure if he is still alive) a tremendously charming individual. It was certainly handy when it came to talking his way out of arrests and charges, influencing people out of money, and so forth. Charm allows for an outsized influence on people, regardless of the wisdom (or lack thereof) in the approach. In business, I have seen the charming destroy departments, stunt otherwise healthy careers, and walk a company off of a cliff. Ah, but they smiled while they did it! And that's what counts, I guess.