Hyper-Elastic Morality

[Cacotopia]

I find that many theists' moral codes.compass to be extremely flexible when any scrutiny of supposed action by their deity comes into question. Yet they supposedly hold a high moral standard for other people. You will make excuses for human sacrifice, infanticide, mass genocide, torture, rape, cruel and inhuman punishments, slavery, and philocide. I find that a numerous theists, christian in particular are quick to pass judgement and make excuses at the same time.

Action believed to be righteous is a poor excuse to commit atrocities with a clear conscious. Not in my view.

The end never justifies the means when you flippantly cast aside your humanity to achieve it, then feverishly don the mantle to appear holy in the end.

Now I have said some things in the past that do suggest that one's own humanity needs to be discarded in order to make difficult decisions. But casting down your own humanity to save the many over the few is a great burden one must bear in making such a decision. Never taking it lightly and owning that you became a amoral monster in order to save humanity from itself. It certainly does not justify the means, but it is a conscious decision based on rationality, and your conscious is not free from judgement.

 

[Quintessence]

I'm not sure why there's spotlighting being done of theists (as if we're somehow all the same... what a riot, that!). This is something that's universally human. Everybody does it, to some extent or another. Doesn't matter if you're theist, atheist, or neither. Folks create expectations in their heads, and then expect the universe to conform to those expectations. Inevitably, it fails to do so in one way or another, and self-centered tantrums (oh, pardon, speeches about "righteousness" and "justice") commence. Some folks are more prone to this than others. All (a)theism and (ir)religion do is set the window dressing for what this looks like.

 

[Cacotopia]

I'm not sure why there's spotlighting being done of theists (as if we're somehow all the same... what a riot, that!). This is something that's universally human. Everybody does it, to some extent or another. Doesn't matter if you're theist, atheist, or neither. Folks create expectations in their heads, and then expect the universe to conform to those expectations. Inevitably, it fails to do so in one way or another, and self-centered tantrums (oh, pardon, speeches about "righteousness" and "justice") commence. Some folks are more prone to this than others. All (a)theism and (ir)religion do is set the window dressing for what this looks like.

Have you made any recent excuses or justification for acts deemed as crimes against humanity lately by another human? I doubt it, I think of you as a stand up guy. Most of my questions are thoughts that were given life from other threads, but I felt they would derail the topic of the other thread.

 

[Sir Doom]

Authority matters. Do we question Tolkien's morality when he commits genocide on the Orcs? He created them to be evil, and then punishes them for it. It's part of writing a story to have antagonists. It would be rather boring otherwise. Is that just? Murdering thousands of Orcs who (even within the mythology of Middle Earth) can't help what they are for little more than entertainment?

God (if there is such a thing) is essentially in the same boat as the 'author' of reality. Being the author confers authority.

Of course, we are not Orcs enslaved to a maniacal, malevolent deity nor are we elves enslaved to a wise and virtuous deity. We are human and enslaved to nothing we do not choose (in this context, anyway). God is not subject to morality because it is by God's actions that the question can arise at all.

This, however, does not prevent anyone from attempting to either justify or condemn God's actions. In truth, I believe they merely wish to justify or condemn human actions by extension. God (real or imaginary) remains beyond reproach.

I often imagine myself speaking to God about things like this. Here is a fun example:

"Hey, big G. Just wondering about all the war and death and stuff. Don't you feel a bit crappy about making us so violent?"

"Well, 20,000 years from now when the Minions of Splugorth come from the next galaxy to eradicate and enslave humanity, you'll be glad I taught you how to fight."

"Oh, well I didn't know about them. Why did you make Minions of Splugorth, then?"

"They make good antagonists. You should see what I put them through to get them there. You'd be thanking me for taking it easy on Earth. You'll see, it's going to be epic!"

"Wait, what? What are we to you The Sopranos or something?!?"

"Yeah, what did you think you were? Real? Hahaha, oh you humans. So self-important. I can't wait until you little weirdos start finding all the other people in the universe and realize you aren't the main characters."

"I hate talking to you, sometimes."

"See you next week, little g."

 

[Quintessence]

Have you made any recent excuses or justification for acts deemed as crimes against humanity lately by another human?

I certainly could; it's almost trivially easy when you're not anthropocentric. I just know better than to say it, because I'm very aware that most humans are anthropocentric. They don't care that the crimes of this single species agains the rest of the planet is several orders of magnitude greater than anything it's done to itself. With a perspective like that, it's hard to care about the harms a very destructive species inflicts upon itself. I aim to not let myself get too misanthropic, but it's hard. It's a consequence of studying ecology and conservation that I didn't anticipate when I got into the field.