From: Rafal Smigrodzki (rms2g@virginia.edu)
Date: Thu Jul 18 2002 - 14:29:55 MDT
Anders Sandberg wrote:
Also, more abstract reasoning is not always correct. One of my favorite
examples is the observation that Kant's categorical imperative makes it
immoral to switch channel when there is advertising, since if everybody
did that all advertising-funded TV we want to see would vanish :-)
### This is a fascinating problem! I rejected Kant's imperative in general a
long time ago but it is still fun to rip it apart in specific circumstances.
I never watch advertisements (I always hit the mute button on the remote). I
know that no matter what I do, there will always be enough viewers willing
to soak up the marketers' effluvia, and I would not object to the
disappearance of advertisement-funded media.
So the imperative is not valid here for two reasons: due to the
heterogeneity of the population there is hardly any risk that individual
noncooperation will have an adverse outcome, and, even if noncooperation had
an outcome, in my individual view it would not be an adverse outcome at all.
Bring it on, old man Immanuel!
BTW, more abstract doesn't mean more correct, I agree - it's so much easier
to slip if you are far out on a limb.
Rafal
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