Philosophy
When Pinochet died, the title of JayinBmore's e post over at Are You Effin' Kiddin' Me was titled "Speaking Ill of the Dead." Ever since, I've been trying to figure out what is the basis for our prohibition against speaking ill of the dead. If we are told not to tell the truth about something, surely, there is good reason. Seems like it must be one of three possible sources:
A moral prohibition:
Is it moral in that it violates a sense of fairness to say something bad about someone who cannot defend himself? You can't properly judge without full understanding of the context and the person cannot speak for himself to fill in the missing details. Is it that the person has just suffered and you don't kick someone while he is down?
An etiquette-based prohibition:
Is it a matter of politeness, making sure that one does not offend the beloved of the deceased who are already dealing with the grief of their loss? Or is it that one's reputation lives on and you may be affecting how he is seen in posterity which also affects the family?
A religiously-based prohibition:
Or is it theological -- the person is having eternal judgment passed on their soul and you don't want to jinx them since so much is at stake or when someone dies it is God's place and not that of a mortal to judge?
What is so special about death that it overrides truth? Thoughts?
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On my way into work, I drive winding country roads that take me past the cemetery at Gettysburg. Along those roads, I am finding more and more makeshift memorials marking the places people have died in traffic accidents. Thinking about them, they seem...
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Philosophy
He Wasn't As Bad As His Brother: Why Not Speak Ill of the Dead?
When Pinochet died, the title of JayinBmore's e post over at Are You Effin' Kiddin' Me was titled "Speaking Ill of the Dead." Ever since, I've been trying to figure out what is the basis for our prohibition against speaking ill of the dead. If we are told not to tell the truth about something, surely, there is good reason. Seems like it must be one of three possible sources:
A moral prohibition:
Is it moral in that it violates a sense of fairness to say something bad about someone who cannot defend himself? You can't properly judge without full understanding of the context and the person cannot speak for himself to fill in the missing details. Is it that the person has just suffered and you don't kick someone while he is down?
An etiquette-based prohibition:
Is it a matter of politeness, making sure that one does not offend the beloved of the deceased who are already dealing with the grief of their loss? Or is it that one's reputation lives on and you may be affecting how he is seen in posterity which also affects the family?
A religiously-based prohibition:
Or is it theological -- the person is having eternal judgment passed on their soul and you don't want to jinx them since so much is at stake or when someone dies it is God's place and not that of a mortal to judge?
What is so special about death that it overrides truth? Thoughts?
- The Ethics Of Incest
We had a senior thesis writer this semester look at the ethical limiting case of incest. So, it seemed a bit odd when this story broke only a week after her thesis defense: A Columbia University professor has been arrested on charges of having sexual...
- Should Prostitution Be Illegal?
We can legally contract away our bodies for use in manual labor that picks strawberries or cleans hotel rooms. We can agree to use our bodies in ways that are physically dangerous and potentially harmful through exposure to various chemicals and repetitive...
- Hallowing Ground
On my way into work, I drive winding country roads that take me past the cemetery at Gettysburg. Along those roads, I am finding more and more makeshift memorials marking the places people have died in traffic accidents. Thinking about them, they seem...
- Death, Hockey, And Love
A pair of questions from C.Ewing. First, Is there an important distinction between "clinically dead" and "dead"? Is there a lingering dualism within that phrasing or something else entirely?Yes, there is a difference. "Dead" is the explicandum and "clinically...
- The Burden Of Proof
Why yes, obviously you should believe in and bow down to the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Let yourself be touched by His noodly appendage. Feel the power of his balls! What do you mean that's nonsense? Can you prove he doesn't exist? If you...