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From: laura@utzoo.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.flame,net.religion
Subject: Re: Thanks, but I'll find another raft.
Message-ID: <5516@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Apr-85 23:35:03 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.5516
Posted: Sun Apr 21 23:35:03 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Apr-85 23:35:03 EST
References: <1713@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 30

Just a short note: *I* don't claim to live by the golden rule at all. It is
too difficult to practice. ``Do unto others as you would have others do
unto you'' - what if other people want you to treat them differently?
I would rather ``do unto others as others would rather you do unto them''
for the most part - but I am not going to sacrifice my own interests to
them, just that , all things being equal I would like it if everybody got
whatever they wanted. But people want the strangest htings -- I sure can't
read their minds and figure out what it is that my neighbour wants.

So what I practice is more along the lines of ``do unto your neighbour
whatever the hell you want to do unto your neihgbour''. If you want to 
practice this one without becoming the ``slavering grasping monster'' sort
that egoists are often considered (which is a mindless brute -- something
no egoist I know wants to become) you have to develop a lot of compassion
for your fellow man. If you have compassion you may find that morality
comes naturally -- that is the idea, after all.

But what happens in an emergency situation will not reflect a moral standard
very well. Emergencies are relatively rare and the overwhelming concern of
people involved in an emergency is to get out of hte emergency. Emergencies
also dramatically decrease the courses of actions open to you. Either I eat
you - or I die -- not a usual situation. The person who values death above
becoming a cannibal (or a murderer) will choose to die. The person who values
thier own life over becoming a cannibal will chose cannibalism. In no case 
does this imply that the one that chooses death actually will enjoy or value
dying -- or that the cannibal is actually pleased at the prospect of eating
human flesh.

Laura Creighton
utzoo!laura