16.5.05

Philosophy: Ethics are unnatural

I watched a woodpecker on a suet feeder, happy and unbothered. A catbird perched on a seed feeder a few feet away, but then decided that he'd rather not have company. He hopped over to the suet and threatened the woodpecker, splaying his beak and beating his wings. The woodpecker, outsized and out aggressived, flew away, and the catbird went back to his feeder and ate in peace.

Animals, insects, and plants, are not moral or ethical. They are selfish and capricious. Anyone who things otherwise should provide an example. Some higher mammals are capable of friendship, but that's not quite the same.

Morals, altruism, Truth, honor, and the like are supernatural. I suspect they're all formalizations of love.

When you see people who are selfish, thoughtless, or predatory, they are natural, not evil. They're animals. You needn't hate them - only pity them for their lack of advancement.

1 Comments:

At 21/5/05 10:43 AM, Blogger anne said...

I very much enjoy your philosophy posts.

 

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