MMX2010 Posted June 21, 2014 Posted June 21, 2014 What exactly do you think my 'ideas' are? Violence can be used to get children to obey. So what? Once a parent says, "I love my children, and I want what's best for them, and I spank my children out of love.", they're implying that spanking produces obedience (which is good for children to be) better than all other forms of obedience-producing behavior. Saying "Violence can be used to get children to obey." is a refusal to compare spanking's (supposed) obedience-inducing effectiveness to all other forms of obedience-inducing behaviors. As such, it's a strong suggestion that there's a disconnect between what that parent says and does.
Wiltin Posted June 21, 2014 Author Posted June 21, 2014 So what? Once a parent says, "I love my children, and I want what's best for them, and I spank my children out of love.", they're implying that spanking produces obedience (which is good for children to be) better than all other forms of obedience-producing behavior. Saying "Violence can be used to get children to obey." is a refusal to compare spanking's (supposed) obedience-inducing effectiveness to all other forms of obedience-inducing behaviors. As such, it's a strong suggestion that there's a disconnect between what that parent says and does. So what? So just let it be, that's what. Why the need to throw everything but the kitchen sink at me to try and obfuscate and avoid a simple truth?
MMX2010 Posted June 21, 2014 Posted June 21, 2014 So what? So just let it be, that's what. Why the need to throw everything but the kitchen sink at me to try and obfuscate and avoid a simple truth? Because the purpose of philosophy is not to gather "simple truths" in order to "discuss them" to achieve "accuracy" and "intellectual honesty"; the purpose of philosophy is to acquire moral excellence in yourself so that you can spread that moral excellence to others.
Wiltin Posted June 22, 2014 Author Posted June 22, 2014 Because the purpose of philosophy is not to gather "simple truths" in order to "discuss them" to achieve "accuracy" and "intellectual honesty"; the purpose of philosophy is to acquire moral excellence in yourself so that you can spread that moral excellence to others. The thread title is "Objectivity about violence", I don't know what you were expecting to find, I'm not making a moral argument. "Purpose" is a subjective term, "the" is a definitive objective term, preceding a subjective term with an definitive term is misleading and nonsensical in philosophical conversation. (Parallel: The purpose of a hammer is to break things.) There is no "the purpose" of philosophy, there's "a purpose". Philosophy is a tool.
MMX2010 Posted June 22, 2014 Posted June 22, 2014 The thread title is "Objectivity about violence", I don't know what you were expecting to find, I'm not making a moral argument. This is why you're not considering other people's counter-arguments. It's also why you're being downvoted. And it's also why you're complaining about the reputation system, rather than asking yourself, "Is it anything but ridiculous to attempt a non-moral, non-emotional, non-ethical, strictly-intellectual discussion about violence, particularly violence against children?"
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