Watch out for the man (or woman) who cannot, or will not, ever speak in absolutes. The person who is unable to make a statement without a qualifier such as "I think", I believe", or "It seems to me" is almost always a moral relativist, and even when appearing to speak in the strongest of terms is still giving himself a get-out clause should he/she want to (or be forced to) change their mind.
Case in point: European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana thinks that he ought to condemn the "welcome back to school" present that Hamas sent to the Israeli town of Sderot - a hail of missle fire upon a toddler day-care center:
Visiting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana condemned the attacks on Sderot, adding that on a previous trip to Israel he had been in the town as rockets fell.
"I'd like to show my solidarity with the people of Sderot," he said at a news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
"I know what it means, and to see today again the same experience for the people, in particular at a time when kids are in school, I think it's something that I have to condemn," he said.
Jeez, you think? Is there anything more offensive than attempting to slaughter another nation's innocent children simply for hate's sake? Javier's not sure; maybe this was some type of an Israeli provocation? So he'll say he "thinks" he has to condemn it - leaving him an out the next time he dines (or provides Euros to ) Hamas.
The inability to call a thing what it is, to stand up and call out evil without a qualifier, is a deadly moral failing. The enemies of the West have no such doubts; and they'll use ours to skewer us with...
3 comments:
OK, so for just this once I will leave out the "I think..."
"Watch out for the man (or woman) who cannot, or will not, ever speak in absolutes. The person who is unable to make a statement without a qualifier such as "I think", I believe", or "It seems to me" is almost always a moral relativist, and even when appearing to speak in the strongest of terms is still giving himself a get-out clause should he/she want to (or be forced to) change their mind."
Wrong. It has zero to do with moral relativism.
Wrong. It is not a "get-out clause.
That statement is a load of well processed horse manure.
I start a statement with "I think...", or "I believe..." when -
The statement is speculative - there is no supporting data. "I believe there is no god" would be an example.
The statement is made with respect for the person to whom it is addressed. "I believe you are wrong" would cover that.
As for "changing my mind", I am always happy to so do if someone shows me my error.
Obviously you are always right, even when fact is in total conflict with what you say. Because the facts are wrong (because you are right)you will never change your mind about anything.
A piece of advice - always carry an umbrella.
I will answer you with the words of John Galt himself - from your new favorite book, if I recall...:
"Thinking is man's only basic virtue, from which all the others proceed. And his basic vice, the source of all his evils, is that nameless act which all of you practice, but struggle never to admit; the act of blanking out, the willful suspension of one's consciousness, the refusal to think–not blindness, but the refusal to see; not ignorance, but the refusal to know. It is the act of unfocusing your mind and inducing an inner fog to escape the responsibility of judgment–on the unstated premise that a thing will not exist if only you refuse to identify it, that A will not be A so long as you do not pronounce the verdict 'It is.' an act of annihilation, a wish to negate existence, an attempt to wipe out reality. But existence exists; reality is not to be wiped out, it will merely wipe out the wiper. By refusing to say 'It is,' you are refusing to say 'I am.' By suspending your judgment, you are negating your person. When a man declares: 'Who am I to know?'–he is declaring: 'Who am I to live?
"This, in every hour and every issue, is your basic moral choice: thinking or non-thinking, existence or non-existence, A or non-A, entity or zero...
OK, so there is no god. I knew it all along. If you think otherwise you are wrong.
Post a Comment