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DArtagnan
Guest
What makes you think I think 'moral relativist utilitarian' tells the whole story?
I didn't say you did, I just suggested that you wouldn't get the complete picture.
If you don't, then that's good
But since you seem to expect nihilism from those of my disposition, there's definitely something wrong with your approach.
Actually, that whole confusion is a good example of why lables don't appeal to me.
Nihilism, as you said, would seem to reflect a lack of interest - which in a way is true, but in another way VERY untrue. I'm pretty sure I "care" more than most people would expect.
Again, they simplify and confuse - and I just don't think it's helpful.
The reason I linked to the wiki page on utilitarianism was to point out that your suggestion that we should abandon ethics for utilitarianism (IE the idea that we ought to do what's beneficial to us IE we ought to maximize utility) was a paradox, since utilitarianism very much is an ethical theory (so we'd be abandoning ethics for ethics).
I understand that other people have other theories, but I'm not the one calling me a utilitarian.
I don't like to use labels, unless I feel I fully understand them and can safely apply them and feel certain they match exactly.
Maybe what I'm saying is exactly the same as being a utilitarian, but my experience is that such concepts are too rigid and make people forget the big picture.
I'm having enough difficulty getting my position across, and I don't need a label to bring further misunderstanding.
That said, based on what I've read about the notion, it seems a close match in this case.
I understand why you dislike the word ethics but from what you said you don't want to do away with it, you want to redefine our way of thinking about it.
To me, it's not really important if we redefine what "ethics" mean to us, or if we do away with them and invent a new concept. However, if the utilitarian mindset is meant as a replacement, then I think it might be confusing to people who still have traditional ethics in mind when talking about these things.
I'd rather just explain things in my own way.