And this fact (that ends are rarely realized) just further adds to our analysis of which means are acceptable - we had better lean toward not using "evil" means as we will likely fail to reach our desired end anyway. — ZhouBoTong
It’s not accurate. You’ve chosen only to look at politicians. What about politicians in wartime, the military who decide where to deploy soldiers, budgets and health decisions; where the money should go? — Brett
World leaders worldwide don’t care about you. Why do you care about them? They are mainly concerned about themselves and what will give them a good name. — Noah Te Stroete
But do you really believe the benefits you receive now aren’t the result of someone making tough decisions in the past? — Brett
But do you think I’m disgusting for having opinions? — Noah Te Stroete
But they also got to be presidents — Noah Te Stroete
And you just take examples that serve your purpose. — Brett
Isn’t it a luxury to sit around theorising about this idea and very likely never, ever having to make a decision, and yet there are those out there who must make these decisions. — Brett
If we were actually in the thick of it we (most people) would be too emotional to do anything close to an objective analysis. — ZhouBoTong
I found this a bit hard to understand but you can let me know where I misunderstood.-Actions are considered good or evil (right or wrong) based on their goal which is being accomplished by the consequences of that particular action.
-If the goal being accomplished is good then something is considered right.
- As I stated earlier, we need context to judge an action.
-That context is a goal, which shows why someone did something.
-Therefore, we measure actions based on the goal being accomplished.
-The ends justify the means. — Lawrence of Arabia
Or too inadequate. I think some experience is required to do this. I don’t know what would contribute to that experience. Even with experience maybe only so many would be up to it. Anyway I’m not sure if this is really the subject of the OP. — Brett
However, once one makes a decision to act, the ends are always already connected to the means. So in terms of practical decisions, ends and means are always one package, to be evaluated as a whole.
You can look at a specific course of action and ask whether or not your chosen means to arrive at your desired end is moral. You cannot evaluate either ends or means separately or establish a general principle that "the ends justify the means".. — Echarmion
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