Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
An immoral question?	Jon1667	06/29/03
Following on the question about The Ring of Gyges: Is the question, does morality pay off (or as Socrates put it, is justice profitable) an immoral question? Doesn't it suggest that the only reason for acting morally is that it pays off ("Honesty is the best policy.")? With the corollary that if it does not pay off, or, worse, if it is detrimental to the doer, then he is under no obligation to act morally? (By the way, this is one of the questions that professors of philosophy often ask in class.)
Clarification/Follow-up by Choux on 06/29/03 11:58 pm: I forgot, I'm supposed to make my case to get an A! There is a common misconception that acting morally is unpleasant and that there must be a payoff such as going to heaven when you die, or keeping your job, or mommy loves you. However, being a moral person simply FEELS GOOD for those mature enough to understand and practice good morals/ethics. I am a moral person even when it is "detremental" to me. For example, I have often been given too much change, but I always make the correction. Or, last week at the pharmacy, the pharmacist was going to undercharge me by $20.00, and I pointed out his mistake. There is a painful example of being moral when it is detrimental to the doer, and that is the case of whistleblowers who according to one of the witnesses in the Enron hearing stated she received many letters from whistleblowers who suffered from their morality. However, I think we all have an obligation to act morally even if it is "detremental" to ourselves. (excluding getting killed or others getting killed, have to file that one under unusual circumstance requiring more thought) We are all under an obligation to ourselves to act morally in daily life. The only way to happiness, for sure, though I know you don't like Eastern Religious Philosophy! Have a great week, Chou Clarification/Follow-up by Jon1667 on 06/30/03 5:22 am: Clarification/Follow-up by Choux on 06/29/03 11:58 pm: I forgot, I'm supposed to make my case to get an A! _______________________________ Well, whether or not you get an A, you are supposed to make a case for your view for your view to be taken seriously. Unless you give reasons for your view, you do not take your view seriously, because you don't care whether or not your view is true, and if you don't take your view seriously, then why should anyone else do so? There is a common misconception that acting morally is unpleasant and that there must be a payoff such as going to heaven when you die, or keeping your job, or mommy loves you. However, being a moral person simply FEELS GOOD for those mature enough to understand and practice good morals/ethics. I am a moral person even when it is "detremental" to me. For example, I have often been given too much change, but I always make the correction. Or, last week at the pharmacy, the pharmacist was going to undercharge me by $20.00, and I pointed out his mistake. There is a painful example of being moral when it is detrimental to the doer, and that is the case of whistleblowers who according to one of the witnesses in the Enron hearing stated she received many letters from whistleblowers who suffered from their morality. However, I think we all have an obligation to act morally even if it is "detremental" to ourselves. (excluding getting killed or others getting killed, have to file that one under unusual circumstance requiring more thought) We are all under an obligation to ourselves to act morally in daily life. The only way to happiness, for sure, though I know you don't like Eastern Religious Philosophy! ____________________________________ Is there Eastern Religious _Philosophy_? But now my question is, suppose that, whether or not it is pleasant, acting immorally in a particular case were unpleasant. (As sometimes it surely is.) Now, would you have a good reason for acting morally? Isn't that really the issue? Clarification/Follow-up by Choux on 06/30/03 5:20 pm: Herr Professor Jon: Well, I have been hanging around the Philosophy Board on Answerway and Askme for a few years now, and I know my personality and knowledge has come across to all the regulars. I am part comedian, part serious thinker, part a lot of other things! I disagree with your assessment that I can't attempt to be funny and have a serious opinion. I have to add that talk about morality is only sensible(not non-sense) if it deals with concrete examples! It is what we DO that is moral or immoral. All the talk of our motives and thoughts in relation to your question is pure non-sense. Yet, you give tonyrey five stars for this medieval outlook! This non-sense! Cordially, Chou
Answered By		Answered On
Choux		06/29/03
HI Jon, There are no immoral questions or thoughts, only immoral actions or inactions. Cordially, Chou

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