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Quarksdaily Moral Tragedy
Quarksdaily Moral Tragedy
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MORAL TRAGEDY?
Few today subscribe to the view that complete success in every evaluative dimension is necessary for
happiness. Surely a person could be happy but not especially beautiful or wealthy. It is important to note,
however, that those who affirm this more modest view often take their insight to show that things like
wealth and beauty are not really the incontrovertible goods that they often appear to be. That is, the
3QD BY RSS FEED claim that one might be happy in the absence of wealth and good looks is most often accompanied by the
rider that these latter attributes are not especially valuable after all. Consequently, the core of Aristotle's
second claim is retained, albeit in a moderated form: the happy life manifests not every good that a
human life could realize, but all of the really important goods that a human life could realize.
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This moderated version of Aristotle's second claim is undeniably attractive. It strikes many as obvious
Receive all blogposts at the same that success in living involves achieving a range of centrally important values; in order to be good, a life
time every day. must manifest integrity, honesty, loyalty, hopefulness, kindness, determination, charity, trustworthiness,
and much else. It also seems obvious to many that these success-making attributes must be manifest to
Enter your Email: the fullest degree. A person who only occasionally manifests integrity and determination, or who is
sometimes disloyal and untrustworthy, is living a life that is to some degree failing from the moral point
Subscribe me! of view. He may of course feel satisfied with his life, but it is nevertheless unsuccessful.
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To be sure, even on the moderated version, it is not easy to live successfully. The important goods upon
whose manifestation success depends are not easily attained; one must work to achieve a good life. It is
RECENT COMMENTS
not surprising, then, that we live in a social world that inundates us with competing images of success,
each promoting its distinctive conception of how all of the truly important values best can be realized
Dwight Furrow
and maintained. From automobile advertisements and fashion magazines to university websites,
Ha. I can relate, although I television preachers, and political candidates, the social environment is saturated with depictions of the
have my family well good life, and, again, all but the most simplistic of these includes some program for achieving the right
trained. Thanks for your balance of all of the goods. The self-help section of your local bookstore tells the tale: success in life
consists in having it all, making no compromises, missing out on nothing, achieving and sustaining all of
comment.
the good things, all at once.
3quarksdaily: Wines of
But what if it should turn out that success in this sense is not only hard to achieve, but impossible? What
Anger and Joy (Part 2) · 8
if the reason why it's so difficult to live a life that manifests all of the important goods to the fullest
minutes ago
degree is that it is not possible to do so? Would it follow that we are doomed moral failure?
James Fuller To get a better sense of the possibility we are raising, consider that our lives feature periodic episodes
where we must choose not between a good and a bad, but rather between two or more goods. We
As explained previously:
sometimes can remain loyal to one person only by betraying the trust of another; in some circumstances,
"He AND his wife have
kindness requires dishonesty; and often seeing things clearly results in little more than a loss of hope. In
one house in his home
cases like these, the achievement of one good requires the violation of another good. And, more
state of Vermont, and an... importantly, it is not clear how one could determine whether in any instance the preservation of loyalty
was worth the corresponding dissolution of trust. Hence it's possible that humans just can't have it all.
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
Cases in which goods conflicts are common enough. What should we make of them?
word': how young
Americans fell in love One view claims that irredeemable losses involving important goods is an inescapable feature of human
with socialism · 3 hours lives because strife among goods is built into the fabric of the moral universe. Another view is that the
ago cases of strife are all due to limitations on human insight, knowledge, or imagination. According to the
first view, there could be no human life without serious moral loss. That may sound harsh. However, this
Logan Paul view offers something of a consolation: As moral loss is inevitable, it is in the end not clear how it could
constitute a moral failure. The second view also seems harsh. It claims that moral losses have their roots
This is so me every time I
in our limitations, and so it would appear that such losses are due to our shortcomings. However, there is
see a flawed argument it consolation in the idea that finite beings are always subject to cognitive and epistemic limitations; such,
just made me hyper, after all, is part of what constitutes our finitude.
between the article was...
Both views at once condemn us to inescapable moral loss while offering a corresponding consolation
3quarksdaily: Robert that derives from the loss's inevitability. Both provide parallel doom and comfort in the thought that we
Epstein’s empty essay · 4 are human, after all.
hours ago
However, matters are more complicated than it might seem. We have identified only two accounts of the
S. Abbas Raza conflict between goods. There are other accounts, including a number that hold that moral loss is not
inevitable. These views hold that every conflict among goods is resolvable either because there is always
This is brill! :-) an overarching good that can adjudicate the conflict, or because the limitations on our moral
understanding are surmountable. Thus, there is a conflict among two styles of thinking about moral
3quarksdaily: Parade of conflicts. One holds that strife among goods is inevitable and irresolvable, and the other denies this. Can
Images · 6 hours ago this conflict be addressed?
jimculleny It matters how we think about conflicts among important goods. If we think that such conflicts are
irresolvable, in the face of them we will see no point in agonizing over their resolution. In fact, agonizing
Eve, I'm glad the poem
over them and trying to think of solutions will seem only to their difficulty. If alternatively we think that
meant something to you. I all such conflicts admit of some resolution, then striving to find the right response might be obligatory.
miss my young nephew Consequently, the hasty inference from it being difficult to find an answer to there being no answer is not
also. only a cognitive but also a moral error.
3quarksdaily: Monday The trouble is that it is unclear that this conflict over how to think about moral conflict is itself
Poem · 10 hours ago resolvable. This second-order conflict is at least as vexed as any first-order conflict over goods like
honesty and loyalty is. But if we don't know how to resolve the conflict over how to think about moral
Eve German conflicts, a different and more thoroughly unsettling possibility looms.
Thank you thank you for According to plausible account, a morally successful life must be a life of moral reflection and
this poem. My brother, command. One might say that in order to live well, one must achieve a certain level of moral
who passed away in 2008, understanding. One cannot live a successful life by accident; success must be in some way won by way
was a guitarist and his... of deliberate effort. But if we can't resolve the conflict among ways of thinking about moral conflicts, we
lack a significant -- some might say indispensable -- ingredient of moral understanding. In the same way
3quarksdaily: Monday that we may lack real happiness if we fail to achieve some first-order good, it seems we also lack
Poem · 11 hours ago happiness if we lack this second-order good of moral understanding. Hence our lives might be
condemned not only to imperfection, but tragedy too.
Urban Fringe
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This is the question and
the answer: "Why attribute Posted by Scott F. Aikin and Robert B. Talisse at 12:45 AM | Permalink
emotional expression to
wine? There can be...
3quarksdaily: Wines of
Anger and Joy (Part 2 Comments 3 Quarks Daily ! Login
2) · 12 hours ago
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& Recommend 1 ⤤ Share
Luke's teacher
"He declared that the truly I don't remember him saying that. In fact as I recall -- it's been fifty years! --
happy person not only Aristotle made the point that true happiness is not temporary or fleeting
derives great enjoyment phenomenon, like a happy childhood (I had one of those btw). It is something
from living, but also... that is achieved over a life-time, the sum total of a life well-lived. The notion
that you have to be good looking or never have an instant of bad luck in order to
3quarksdaily: Moral
be truly happy -- come on, that's silly! Let's see the quotes.
Tragedy? · 18 hours ago
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
Teller
Luke's teacher • 18 hours ago
He's not only at my Most Luke. Here, since you're too lazy to go look.
Interesting People dinner "Happiness evidently also needs external goods to be added, since we cannot, or
party, he's invited to spend cannot easily, do fine actions without the resources.... for we do not altogether
the weekend. have the character of happiness if we look utterly repulsive or are ill-born,
solitary or childless... if our children or friends are totally bad...." (NE 1099a 27-
3quarksdaily: A master
1099b5).
class in writing from John
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›
McPhee · 19 hours ago
M.W. Poe
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3quarksdaily: Parade of
Images · 20 hours ago
M.W. Poe
3quarksdaily: Lying
Quotes · 20 hours ago
Jim Harrison
3quarksdaily: Lying
Quotes · 20 hours ago
D. L. Pughe
3quarksdaily:
CATSPEAK · 20 hours
ago
bill
Socialism to Democrats is
what Gun Control and
Abortion is to Republicans
-- a no win...
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 20 hours
ago
Mr__Neutron
Leanne Ogasawara
WONDERFUL
poem!!!!!!!! "from fingers
to strings was by god a
grace bridge..."
3quarksdaily: Monday
Poem · 22 hours ago
Robin Varghese
3quarksdaily: Lying
Quotes · 1 day ago
steve3
hicksmokeduckie
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
steve3
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
Carson Leong
Luke Lea
jG
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
steve3
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
Dwight Furrow
3quarksdaily: Wines of
Anger and Joy (Part 2) · 8
minutes ago
James Fuller
As explained previously:
"He AND his wife have
one house in his home
state of Vermont, and an...
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 3 hours
ago
Logan Paul
3quarksdaily: Robert
Epstein’s empty essay · 4
hours ago
S. Abbas Raza
3quarksdaily: Parade of
Images · 6 hours ago
jimculleny
3quarksdaily: Monday
Poem · 10 hours ago
Eve German
3quarksdaily: Monday
Poem · 11 hours ago
Urban Fringe
3quarksdaily: Wines of
Anger and Joy (Part
2) · 12 hours ago
Luke's teacher
3quarksdaily: Moral
Tragedy? · 17 hours ago
Luke Lea
3quarksdaily: Moral
Tragedy? · 18 hours ago
Teller
3quarksdaily: A master
class in writing from John
McPhee · 19 hours ago
M.W. Poe
3quarksdaily: Parade of
Images · 20 hours ago
M.W. Poe
3quarksdaily: Lying
Quotes · 20 hours ago
Jim Harrison
3quarksdaily: Lying
Quotes · 20 hours ago
D. L. Pughe
3quarksdaily:
CATSPEAK · 20 hours
ago
bill
Socialism to Democrats is
what Gun Control and
Abortion is to Republicans
-- a no win...
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 20 hours
ago
Mr__Neutron
Leanne Ogasawara
WONDERFUL
poem!!!!!!!! "from fingers
to strings was by god a
grace bridge..."
3quarksdaily: Monday
Poem · 22 hours ago
Robin Varghese
3quarksdaily: Lying
Quotes · 1 day ago
steve3
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
hicksmokeduckie
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
steve3
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
Carson Leong
Luke Lea
jG
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
steve3
3quarksdaily: 'The S-
word': how young
Americans fell in love
with socialism · 1 day ago
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