Group: alt.philosophy · Group Profile
Author: tata Date: Jul 24, 2008 09:54
On Jul 24, 8:00 am, ZerkonX X.net> wrote:> On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:10:54 -0700, ta wrote:
>> because subconsciously they feel tremendous guilt
>
> May be true but it is 'duty' that has been the age old reason for the
> richer to assist the poorer. Some saw this as a civic duty others a moral
> duty but a duty none the less.
But isn't "duty" just a nice word for describing the compulsion to
compensate for perceived unfairness? (aka, guilt)
> Guilt breeds resentment. It is associated with wrong doing. So it is
> natural that a person wants to free themselves from doing this wrong.
>
> Giving to others, out of guilt, is a form of self-imposed extortion
> because even though you relieve yourself from the guilt by giving you
> continue to do that for which you feel guilty so you continue to make
> payments to keep the guilt men off your back.
>
> Duty on the other hand is cold. It is a matter of fact. The underlying
> virtue is a given. It is not done to alleviate wrong doing but to act
> according to a given civic or moral principle.
I don't know . . . I don't really see the difference to be honest.
I do believe there are genuine acts of kindness, but I think that is
very rare.
> One of my favorite lines from film goes something like this:
>
> "To Col. Lawrence, mercy is a passion, to me it is merely good manners. I
> will leave it to you to decide which is the more reliable."
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