Every person thinks they are a good person.
Do you consider yourself a 'good person'?
- Thread starter lixluke
- Start date
That's only because you aren't even bothering to consider what I'm saying. You are just giving knee jerk reactions based on what you think my position is.
For example you say:
In responce to: "Being sufficiently crazy can prevent you from being good or bad. There is a point where you are just crazy and out of touch."
If I am positing that an adult can be outside judgements of good and bad because their insanity renders them incompitent to make rational judgements about their actions, what do you think my stance is about the baby?
A baby is neither good nor bad as it cannot yet make choices of this kind and in your example the baby is essencially no different than tripping over a rock. Is a rock bad if you trip on it?
I continue with: "Unfortunately such people can be dangerous because they don't know if they are causing harm to themselves or others, or they perceive and respond to imagined threats."
A rock or a baby can be dangerous if you trip on them and hit your head. That doesn't mean they are bad. They can also be useful. That doesn't mean they are good. Eventually the baby will begin to act as a person in its own right. If that person makes a habit of bullying other kids, shop lifting, slashing tires, beating up gays, voting republican and being a fundy; then you can say they are a bad person.
But no one is born with fully formed morals. They have to be learned. So if the baby makes some mistakes that doesn't necessarily mean they are a bad person. It just means they were ignorant and in the process of learning to do better.
That is why your single case senarios are useless. A judgement can't be formed from a single event. Good people can make mistakes, even tragic ones. You have to examine the trends and ratios.
That's also why you ignore stated "intent." Most good and bad people will both claim good intent. But if you look at the collection of their actions over time it becomes obvious which is which. The person who says "I didn't mean to hit you" for the hundreth time is a bad person. The one who has stood by you through thick and thin and never hit you before is not a bad person just because you got hit.
Some where in the middle is a tipping point and it differs for each person and depends on circumstances.
That doesn't seem a justifiable position.
There are people who aren't and know they aren't.
No. I examine their actions in and of themselves over the course of my aquaintence with them and make no presumptions about intent.
Do you think people never lie with good intentions?
Consistant failing when you think you should be succeeding points to a core misunderstanding, or delusion, of the situation.
Occasional failing is not an issue in and of itself.
You don't know their actual intentions.
So, you ask some one to pass you the soup and they pour it in your lap and while laughing say "oops that's not what I intended." Later you ask for coffee and they pour it in your lap and while laughing say "oops that's not what I intended." Then next day they drop the gravy in you lap. And so on.
But you, of course are ok with this. After all they have good intentions so their countinual failing isn't a problem.
And that's fine with me. Bad people need gullible idiots to distract them so they don't bother me.
Not very imaginative are you? Just fill in the appropriate corrupt and stupid local politician.
Of course.
So you keep saying. Of course "Ignoring what I said and just repeating your own statement doesn't make it true."
I am saying actions speak louder than "intentions" and success speaks louder than failure.
I'm also saying that in the long run a history of continued failure can't be just brushed aside by claims of good intentions.
I really doubt this is so different from how you actually come to decisions concerning those around you being good or bad people.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
I think you should, and until you do and and think about it some, there's not much point to this discussion.
“ Originally Posted by StrangerInAStrangeLa
Every person thinks they are a good person. ”
They may say so or express doubt.
What they do is either beyond their control or they think it's justified or necessary. Otherwise they wouldn't do it.
Every person thinks they are a good person. ”
They may say so or express doubt.
What they do is either beyond their control or they think it's justified or necessary. Otherwise they wouldn't do it.
So in other words they require the intent to be good to actually be good. That was pretty much my point, intent is an important factor.
Even if they're a failure I'm not sure that makes them morally questionable, only their ability and intelligence.
If they're actually aware they're making things worse in their quest to do good and continue regardless I'd question their true intent, or at least their mental capacity to understand their actions and make a reasoned decision.:shrug:
yeah i am a good person, because it doesnt matter waht i am gojng through in my privat life, i will allways be there for other people. (theres a lot people can do to me, knock me, biter me, punch me, lie to me) i will allways be on top because I AM THE BEST I(if not a bit drunik)
I'm a good person, until I feel I'm being taken advantage of. Then I defend myself. What's the sense of being taken advantage of?
Those aren't the people I'm talking about then.
I don't think your position is supportable. There are people who do ill, know they do ill and choose to do so anyway.
I'm glad you've lead a sheltered life and not hung out in rough crowds, but not everybody is sunshine and sugar sprinkles.
Nope. Striving refers to the actual action here, not just "intending."
Intend is beside the point for the reasons I outlined earlier - actual intent is not available for consideration and people with ill intent just lie.
So do you find your good actions are only intent?
That's ok you can bail if you wish.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
“ Originally Posted by StrangerInAStrangeLa
They may say so or express doubt. What they do is either beyond their control or they think it's justified or necessary. Otherwise they wouldn't do it. ”
I'm talking about all people.
I don't think your position is supportable. It makes no sense at all to think anyone chooses to do anything they don't think is justified or necessary.
Absurd.
They may say so or express doubt. What they do is either beyond their control or they think it's justified or necessary. Otherwise they wouldn't do it. ”
I'm talking about all people.
I don't think your position is supportable. It makes no sense at all to think anyone chooses to do anything they don't think is justified or necessary.
Absurd.
I wouldn't expect this from 1 seemingly intelligent educated person to another seemingly intelligent educated person.
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That seems a very negative arrogant assinine assuming attitude.
Perhaps a sign of things to come in our disagreement.
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If they have no intent they would not strive. The two are clearly linked.
I thought we were talking actions, not words.