https://twitter.com/DiabolicalSpuds/status/1970837235907035151 Evil: Between Circumstance and Disposition The claim that "evil does not exist" offers seductive comfort in our contemporary moment. It suggests that all human harm can be explained away through trauma, ideology, or circumstance—that beneath every atrocity lies a victim of forces beyond their control. Yet this denial, however psychologically appealing, fails to account … Continue reading Evil: Between Circumstance and Disposition
Tag: morality
Art Is The Realm of the Problem
"I am troubled by how often people talk about likability when they talk about art.I am troubled by how often our protagonists are supposed to live impeccable, sin-free lives, extolling the right virtues in the right order – when we, the audience, do not and never have, no matter what we perform for those around … Continue reading Art Is The Realm of the Problem
Book Summary: Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha
To summarize the main ideas: Thinking is not a substitute for lived experience. The idea of being a mother, combat veteran, a disciple of a spiritual teacher - pick any experience you don't have - and having the idea about it is not the same as having lived it. And, it is worse than that, … Continue reading Book Summary: Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha
We Know What You Did During Lockdown. An FT Film Written by James Graham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WTpO9y2Dh4 Obvious, but worth saying again. Algorithms aren't moral agents, and hence, they are not in the position to make moral judgments.
Possessed by Demons or Become Your Own?
It is of course famously difficult to say exactly what happens in [Philip K Dick’s The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch], because the essential question that the major characters have is always: What is actually happening? But at least one major potential timeline, perhaps the most likely timeline, tells a story like this: Palmer Eldritch … Continue reading Possessed by Demons or Become Your Own?
On Being Evil
Are you a good person? If you ask most people this question, they'll answer, "Yes." Of course they are. They might think to themselves, "I'm not a monster. I'm not like X." Pick your monster, let X equal Hitler for illustration purposes here. But, what's the threshold for good? Does the same thinking apply in … Continue reading On Being Evil
There is No Preparation for the Present Moment
"Generally, we tend to prepare too much. We say, 'Once I make a lot of money, then I will go somewhere to study and meditate and become a priest," or whatever it is we would like to become. But we never do it on the spot. We always speak in terms of, 'Once I do … Continue reading There is No Preparation for the Present Moment
Power of the Powerless, Vaclav Havel (1978)
"Ideology is a specious way of relating to the world. It offers human beings the illusion of an identity, of dignity, and of morality while making it easier for them to part with them. As the repository of something suprapersonal and objective, it enables people to deceive their conscience and conceal their true position and … Continue reading Power of the Powerless, Vaclav Havel (1978)
Conquering Evil
"Evil can not be conquered within this world. It can only be resisted in oneself."Kung Fu (television series), Master PoThe world is full of people that look at the world they live in and see evil all around them. It's easy to point to outliers, such as Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a., the Unabomber, to illustrate the … Continue reading Conquering Evil
The Impossibility of Comparative Consequences
A calculus of comparative consequences is impossible. Every effort to develop one is a process of rationalizing bias. Consequentialism assumes, based on experience or thought experiments, that it can assess the consequences of a particular act. This position implies that one act causes consequences. These consequences can be evaluated, reduced to some kind of common … Continue reading The Impossibility of Comparative Consequences
cafebedouin.org 