Warning: This could be boring.
'Was I unethical in writing that letter?'
'No. In so much that it was the truth. But it could be seen as unethical for me to publish it'.
'Why is that?'
'Because it is acceptable to have a thought but totally uncool to express it. Even if it is the truth. Society today is based on everyone telling each other lies (what they want to hear) and living in comfortable denial. The truth is an uncomfortable intrusion. The truth forces one to look at oneself and this can be an ugly, uncomfortable experience'.
'So I should have bitten the bullet, allowed myself to be slandered and libelled, responded with love (as Spinoza would have me do),. I should have lied to protect the lies already in place in order that the status quo may be maintained and no other reputation tarnished (other than my own). That doesn't seem very fair'.
'Since when has man concerned himself with fairness? Look around you'.
'But Spinoza said'...
'Bugger Spinoza. His ethics demand an absolute belief in god... Remove God (or references to God) from his book and what are you left with. NOTHING. Or at best a twee little pamphlet about property rights.
And that is what modern ethics boil down to: Property rights.
So you are perfectly within your rights to express your thoughts but be prepared to be hated for it, even though it is the truth'.
No comments:
Post a Comment