From: Jef Allbright (jef@jefallbright.net)
Date: Mon Jan 31 2005 - 21:07:58 MST
Damien Broderick wrote:
> At 03:41 PM 1/31/2005 -0800, Jef wrote:
>
>> * The basic good is growth of Self
>> Where evolutionary theory refers to survival, a deeper
>> understanding would refer to growth.
>
>
> Are you sure? How about: The basic good is refinement of Self-in-context.
>
> Maybe that's what you mean by `growth' (by analogy with teleonomic
> maturation => elaboration => complexification), but to me growth per
> se is exemplified in cancer.
>
> Damien Broderick
>
>
Damien -
Thanks for the feedback. The adoption of common words such as Self,
Other, Growth, etc., may be my undoing in this endeavor.
However, I think I did address this concern in my statement about Self
and Other, saying that "Self means the system with which one identifies;
it is not limited to one's physical self."
In the context of moral reasoning based on these principles, one might
self-identify as the entity seemingly encapsulated in one's physical
body, or one might self-identify as the in-group comprised of one's
immediate family, but one would probably not self-identify with a cancer
growing within one's body.
Please let me know if this doesn't hit the target.
- Jef
For reference from previous email:
* There is always Self and Other
Self refers to the subjective viewpoint from which all moral
decisions are made. Other refers to the "adjacent possible" with which
the Self must interact.
Note that Self means the system with which one identifies, it is
not limited to one's physical self.
* The basic good is growth of Self
Where evolutionary theory refers to survival, a deeper
understanding would refer to growth. There is no static survival in a
meaningful sense.
"Good" within any subjective context, means "that which works".
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