From: Arlo J. Bensinger (ajb102@psu.edu)
Date: Sat Jul 10 2004 - 18:31:31 BST
Mark, Platt, All,
Mark wrote:
> > Yep, we're just about all the way through the looking glass now.
> > People who spend their lives helping others less fortunate than
> > themselves are selfish.
>
Platt responded:
>I guess this means if you help others you shouldn't get any personal
>satisfaction from doing so.
Arlo asks:
Where did Mark say, or even imply, sush a thing?
Or wait, is "personal satisfaction" and "accumulating wealth" synonomous. You
are proving my criticism with the current dialogue of capitalism.
Platt continues:
> That idea is straight from Kant: If your motive for doing good is
> your own happiness, you're acting immorally. To be moral, you must
> wish to be doing something else while helping another. You must feel
> a sense of sacrifice.
>
Mark responds:
> Actually, I sort of agree with this. But doesn't this mean that one
> must analyze each "do-gooders" motives and methods before pronouncing
> them immoral? Where does such an analysis occur in your philosophy?
> I see none, just sweeping generalizations like the one I noted above.
>
Arlo adds:
Of course, the dialogue is structured so that "do-gooders" are inherently the
enemly of "personal freedom" expressed solely, as if they were synonyms, as
"wealth accumulation". "Doing good", as Platt has made cyrstal clear, is
nothing more than a stifling blanket of social regulations.
This is demonstrated eloquently in the pure dichotomy between "modern
capitalism" and "evil". This dualistic way of thinking makes it completely
justifiable for Platt to condemn "do-gooders" as enemies to "personal freedom",
and to employ these sweeping generalizations.
Mark continues:
> BTW, I see you've excised the pivotal next sentence in my post, which
> gives weight and balance to the full "looking glass" analogy. Here
> it is, so that others are not mislead:
>
> "People who spend their lives maximizing their personal wealth
> without regard for anyone else are at the pinnacle of morality."
>
> Other comments, anyone?
>
Arlo adds:
Mark, I envy your ability to be so concise! Your comment was excised, no doubt,
because stripped of its rhetoric their argument became blantantly obvious.
"Wealth accumulation at any cost" is the same as "modern capitalism" which is
the same as "Personal freedom" which is the same as "Dynamic Quality" which is
the same as "Greatest Morality". Hence, obviously, "wealth accumulation" =
"Greatest Morality". Makes sense to me. ;-)
Arlo
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