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Re: Entomology clarification***

By: DigSpace in ALEA | Recommend this post (0)
Tue, 08 May 12 6:08 PM | 30 view(s)
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Msg. 07727 of 54959
(This msg. is a reply to 07726 by Cactus Flower)

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seems the alea board has come to some sort of consensus, those of any stripe or persuasion have more or less equal opportunity to do good or bad things. One can gave the puritans of eugenics or inquisitions claiming purity of science or religion up to no good. Fair enough. To cure e.g. genetic disease is one thing IMO, to stamp it out as has been proposed/practiced by some seems pretty naughty. Same for all that inquisition stuff I suppose, one can preach and encourage a morality, enforcement by chain and whip, pit and pendulum is again a bit naughty.

I saw an exhibit years ago that revolved around Nazi fascism, it explored differential membership in the party. Sure, people were afraid or full of zeal or whatever, so many many joined. But my understanding is the highest membership, by profession, was medical doctors (not e.g. the clergy, the soldier, or the laborer). I don't know if it is all true or not, but the material was presented by the medical profession as a warning to itself I suppose.


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The above is a reply to the following message:
Re: Entomology clarification*
By: Cactus Flower
in ALEA
Tue, 08 May 12 5:49 PM
Msg. 07726 of 54959

Exactly. The most dangerous people are ALMOST ALWAYS in some narrow sense puritans: people who elevate a single principle above all others may do so and justify almost anything in its name.

The kinds of people who burned William Tyndale and Giordano Bruno at the stake are similar in this way to the kinds of people who justify racial purity and who condemn outright the wickedness of property rights.

The dangerous thing isn't religion, per se. It's the distillation of virtue into isolated principles with a universal application. Once you do that, you can justify all kinds of hatred. And those who oppose you seem simply to be an evil to be snuffed out.

The most dangerous people aren't those whom we would easily see as lacking virtue. The most dangerous people wear a mental hair shirt. They seem to be highly principled. And they will do all sorts of evil things in the name of their principles, which they and others misidentify as virtue.

Virtue is a compound. It is not an element.


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