Philosophy

» redback - Pure Rawls

"Third, I could envisage creating a society through Rawls's methods in a way that still tramples rights..."

Exactly. And I can see in your example, potential for a society worse than the ones we already have ie you in yours me in my Australian society. What I don't see yet is how did this become a value-added exercise? I don't know whether I was thinking beyond the Rawls exercise. When I think these things, I ask to what purpose. To achieve something different? Who was it said: "Something needs to be done, this is something so therefore needs to be done."

I don't see an either/or here. There are already Rawls streams within society IMO counterbalanced arguably by a myriad other streams. But Rawls 'theory' seems to be talking in absolutes or generalisations I always struggle with given their inevitable exceptions. I see compromises, degrees, overlaps, whenever terms such as 'tolerance', 'respect'...even 'condemnation' are used.

If I looked to find the operational or functional definition of the expression:

"I can tolerate someone without respecting him or her. But in doing so, I could still condemn the action."

my head would spin a la The Exorcist.

The freedom to annoy the hell out of me is a freedom I don't want to deny another!? I'll even defend to the death your right to do it, not. I may lack the imagination to know what a society would want fully condemned if equal opportunity was paramount.

Life is a learning experience God doesn't want to deprive us of. The introspection that Pink refers to and the thesis attempted by a friend a lifetime ago along the lines of incorrigible knowledge of one's self(?) makes it hard to "empty" my mind. I was told meditation helps...to totally clear our minds occasionally to stop thinking of elephants but all I think of then are...?

-- posted by redback