PDA

View Full Version : An interesting quote I came across



malfist
May 24th, 2008, 05:21 PM
I was wondering what the ubuntu community would think of this quote by Simone de Beauvoir,
There is only one good. And that is to act according to your conscience.
That strikes me as a remarkably strong philosophy people should follow. What do you think?

barbedsaber
May 24th, 2008, 05:30 PM
I like that one.

Ub1476
May 24th, 2008, 06:21 PM
Well, Hitler did that, and look what he did..

Some people simply think that bad things can be good.

But it`s very wise otherwise, as long as you`re not sick..

klange
May 24th, 2008, 06:36 PM
Well, Hitler did that, and look what he did..
Godwin's law.

And on the second reply, too...

karellen
May 24th, 2008, 07:14 PM
it's ok, as long it's not used to justify obvious injustices and evil doings (any serial killer could subscribe to that quote;) )

original_jamingrit
May 24th, 2008, 08:03 PM
Who would you rather trust; someone who only did what he/she thought was right, or someone who would be willing to do what he/she thought was wrong?It sounds kind of profound, but it's a very difficult question to answer, and says a lot about yourself whether you'd prefer the former or the latter.

madjr
May 24th, 2008, 08:10 PM
I was wondering what the ubuntu community would think of this quote by Simone de Beauvoir,


There is only one good. And that is to act according to your conscience.

That strikes me as a remarkably strong philosophy people should follow. What do you think?

-1

that quote can be called egoism too.


the real good is what benefits everyone (not only the majority, the minority counts too).

Help a stranger without expecting anything in return

karellen
May 24th, 2008, 08:11 PM
I don't know about right or wrong, but I'd rather say "do to others what you want others to do to you"...

madjr
May 24th, 2008, 08:42 PM
I don't know about right or wrong, but I'd rather say "do to others what you want others to do to you"...

hahah

sure, start touching the girl's butt... she will do the same...

LaRoza
May 24th, 2008, 08:49 PM
I was wondering what the ubuntu community would think of this quote by Simone de Beauvoir,

That strikes me as a remarkably strong philosophy people should follow. What do you think?

It is weak. It means nothing.

karellen
May 24th, 2008, 09:00 PM
hahah

sure, start touching the girl's butt... she will do the same...

:lolflag: I'm fine with that
:)

popch
May 24th, 2008, 09:11 PM
There is only one good. And that is to act according to your conscience.

This sets a very high standard. It also operates from a very optimistic assumption, namely, that people are aware of their consciences.

It is a bit problematic because it might assume that the values implied by the consciences are transportable between cultures, or if they are not, that cultures are tolerant of each other's values.

On the other hand, I fail to see how acting against one's conscience can result in 'good'.

Thus, that quotation might be lousy advice for deciding on an action, but it sure yields food for reflection.

Tundro Walker
May 25th, 2008, 01:27 AM
That statement has a sort of Marxist idealism to it, because it assumes everyone has the same conscience. Some serial killers either don't have a conscience, or their conscience is an aberration, where they think killing, raping, etc is "good". Others are so moralistic, they'd rather see some kids starve then to go into a store and steal a loaf of bread for them.

Here's a quote to live by ...

"He who quotes others has nothing to say for himself."

Mr. Picklesworth
May 25th, 2008, 02:09 AM
That statement has a sort of Marxist idealism to it, because it assumes everyone has the same conscience. Some serial killers either don't have a conscience, or their conscience is an aberration, where they think killing, raping, etc is "good". Others are so moralistic, they'd rather see some kids starve then to go into a store and steal a loaf of bread for them.

But the person described in Simone de Beauvoir's quote is being himself, which is better than struggling against his own nature. An internal struggle makes life painful, and is not good, yet our current society encourages it.

ma_nkooo
May 25th, 2008, 03:58 AM
I was wondering what the ubuntu community would think of this quote by Simone de Beauvoir,
That strikes me as a remarkably strong philosophy people should follow. What do you think?
thank you for sharing it with us :)

Well, Hitler did that, and look what he did..
:lolflag:

newagelink
May 25th, 2008, 04:03 AM
I was wondering what the ubuntu community would think of this quote by Simone de Beauvoir,
That strikes me as a remarkably strong philosophy people should follow. What do you think?The quotation that Ubuntu forums strips idiotically is rather obscure in that it refers to the human conscience as the authority of morality, but the human conscience is only a reflection of God.

esaym
May 25th, 2008, 04:22 AM
"Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly"

-Henry Spencer

:popcorn:

karellen
May 25th, 2008, 07:18 AM
But the person described in Simone de Beauvoir's quote is being himself, which is better than struggling against his own nature. An internal struggle makes life painful, and is not good, yet our current society encourages it.

one;s nature is not pre-defined entirely, it can be modified and adjusted. that's why people (can) change. you know...personality, habbits...

civillian
May 25th, 2008, 10:51 AM
I disagree with the opening quotation entirely! If we act according to our conscience then we all go by our own standards and inevitably they vary (take into account the monster in switzerland who imprisoned and raped his own daughter). It's based upon the same sort of logic that comes with the statement
A dictatorship would be ideal, so long as I was the dictator. It relies upon the maker of the statement. As soon as he (or she) is removed from the equation it opens the doors for people with lower standards to enter, and by reviewing humanity's past we can all see where that leads.


An internal struggle makes life painful, and is not good, yet our current society encourages it.

I don't why it should make life painful, the crack addict going cold turkey is an internal struggle which makes life uncomfortable for a while but with strength of will he can free himself of an addiction which can lead on to a better life.

The struggle itself and it's outcome that make life much more rewarding. Is struggling against lust for someone other than a partner/spouse
not good? or does it result in a stronger relationship with a partner? (Assuming it began in earnest)

lisati
May 25th, 2008, 11:03 AM
This is one of the rare occasions that a half-remembered lesson in the Latin language kicked in for me. Doesn't "conscience" come from a couple of Latin words that approximately translate to "with knowledge"? What if the knowledge underlying the conscience is mistaken or misguided?

chucky chuckaluck
May 25th, 2008, 11:46 AM
one need not look at people like hitler to find acts of conscience that are unacceptable. what about people who bomb abortion clinics? what about people who have abortions? can we ever get paleolithic dieters and vegans to live together in harmony, while each follows their conscience to the logical extreme? when i think of the conscience of the average nutjob, i'm relieved to be living in a republic, not a democracy.

lode
May 25th, 2008, 11:53 AM
SdB was an existentialist, and I believe this quote must be read with that in mind.

So saying that this 'statement has a sort of Marxist idealism to it' isn't entirely correct, since existentialism isn't idealism (SdB was, with Sartre, a 'compagnon de route' of French communism, however); one's essence comes after one's existence.

Also, the 'according to your conscience' part must be understood holding Sartre's notions of mauvaise foi in mind. According to your conscience isn't as much 'doing what you think is just' than it is 'acknowledging your existential freedom'.

malfist
May 25th, 2008, 05:35 PM
The quotation that Ubuntu forums strips idiotically is rather obscure in that it refers to the human conscience as the authority of morality, but the human conscience is only a reflection of God.

It comes from God? Just where is this God and who is this God?