|
Funny I came across this thread. I had been reading a book on ethics lately, and after some searching came across an applicable passage...
| quote: |
... Doing evil is doing to another person what it would be contrary to reason for him to do to himself. Harming another, hurting another, doing to another what he dislikes having done to him are the specific forms this takes. Killing, cruelty, inflicting pain, maiming, torturing, deceiving, cheating, rape, adultery are instances of this sort of behaviour. They all violate the condition of 'reversibility,' that is, that the behaviour in question must be acceptable to a person whether he is at the 'giving' or 'receiving' end of it.
It is important to see just what is established by this condition of being for the good of everyone alike. In the first place, anyone who engages in nonreversible behaviour is doing something wrong. It is irrelevant whether he knows that it is wrong or not, whether the morality of his group recognises it or not. Such behaviour is 'wrong in itself,' irrespective of individual or social recognition, irrespective of the consequences it has...
|
___________________
Colours!
|