So, the closest thing I’ve had to a childhood hero is Spock from the 60s Star Trek show. As I’ve grown older and more aware of of the world around me, I’ve realized elevating rationality to a virtue by itself isn’t enough to form a coherent ethos. In fact, I think individuals are actually very bad at rationality. Everyone who puts rationality on a pedestal, from Zizians to SBF to Reddit atheists to Elon Musk to Randian libertarians, is really just forgetting how subjective rationality can be.
I firmly believe that compassion is just as important as rationality when it comes to building strong, honest societies. You need both. We want ethics that are internally consistent, sure, but rationality and internal consistency don’t themselves give ethics purpose.
Putting aside the discussion about bodies and objects, the primary concern is consent - which also applies to objects anyway. Would you steal a dead person’s wallet “because they don’t need it anymore”?
Why wouldn’t you? There are very few instances in which one can assume they have consent over another person’s body.
Because rape is something that happens to a person, not an object. Are women raping their dildos?
Hey, what kinda person are you?
A rational one.
So, the closest thing I’ve had to a childhood hero is Spock from the 60s Star Trek show. As I’ve grown older and more aware of of the world around me, I’ve realized elevating rationality to a virtue by itself isn’t enough to form a coherent ethos. In fact, I think individuals are actually very bad at rationality. Everyone who puts rationality on a pedestal, from Zizians to SBF to Reddit atheists to Elon Musk to Randian libertarians, is really just forgetting how subjective rationality can be.
I firmly believe that compassion is just as important as rationality when it comes to building strong, honest societies. You need both. We want ethics that are internally consistent, sure, but rationality and internal consistency don’t themselves give ethics purpose.
Compassion isn’t irrational and rationality doesn’t require its exclusion.
Putting aside the discussion about bodies and objects, the primary concern is consent - which also applies to objects anyway. Would you steal a dead person’s wallet “because they don’t need it anymore”?
Can you rape a wallet?