Philosophy
Green Eggs and Ham features two characters, an unnamed narrator and Sam-I-Am. The book begins with the narrator declaring that he does not like that Sam-I-Am. Despite this antagonistic attitude towards him, Sam-I-Am incessantly suggests that the narrator try the green eggs and ham that the narrator repeatedly insists he does not like. Ultimately, he wears down the narrator's defenses and he agrees to try them if Sam agrees to stop nagging. Upon eating the green eggs and ham, the narrator find that he really likes green eggs and ham. The book ends with the narrator offering deep thanks to Sam and the two emerge as friends.
Sam's nagging brought about the best possible consequences. The narrator's life and their relationship are both better as a result of his persistance. We can assume that Sam was acting out of care. Assume he had a reasonable belief that if the narrator would only try the green eggs and ham, everything would turn out for the better. Was the nagging justified?
Philosophers use the word "autonomy" to mean possessing the right to make one's own decisions about one's own life. Paternalism is seen by some philosophers as an assault on what it is to be human. To treat someone authentically is to give them their full freedom. Others say that care is the basis a moral relationship, that one should think about the well-being of the other. If you really care about someone, how far can you go to get them to act in their own self interest? If it really is for their own good, what are the limits of nagging?
Oh, and everyone over 35 who is reading this, if you are female get a baseline mammogram and if you are male get a baseline PSA.
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Philosophy
Sam-I-Am and the Ethics of Nagging
Green Eggs and Ham features two characters, an unnamed narrator and Sam-I-Am. The book begins with the narrator declaring that he does not like that Sam-I-Am. Despite this antagonistic attitude towards him, Sam-I-Am incessantly suggests that the narrator try the green eggs and ham that the narrator repeatedly insists he does not like. Ultimately, he wears down the narrator's defenses and he agrees to try them if Sam agrees to stop nagging. Upon eating the green eggs and ham, the narrator find that he really likes green eggs and ham. The book ends with the narrator offering deep thanks to Sam and the two emerge as friends.
Sam's nagging brought about the best possible consequences. The narrator's life and their relationship are both better as a result of his persistance. We can assume that Sam was acting out of care. Assume he had a reasonable belief that if the narrator would only try the green eggs and ham, everything would turn out for the better. Was the nagging justified?
Philosophers use the word "autonomy" to mean possessing the right to make one's own decisions about one's own life. Paternalism is seen by some philosophers as an assault on what it is to be human. To treat someone authentically is to give them their full freedom. Others say that care is the basis a moral relationship, that one should think about the well-being of the other. If you really care about someone, how far can you go to get them to act in their own self interest? If it really is for their own good, what are the limits of nagging?
Oh, and everyone over 35 who is reading this, if you are female get a baseline mammogram and if you are male get a baseline PSA.
- They Might Be Kantians: Legitimate Argument For Guilt By Association?
This morning the short people and I were listening to "Flood" on the way into school. Still a great album. The ethical question in the song "Your Racist Friend" has always interested me. The song recounts the conundrum of someone at a friend's party...
- My Lai And The Nature Of War
Today is the 43rd anniversary of the massacre at My Lai in which U.S. troops brutally beat, tortured, raped, and slaughtered several hundred unarmed civilians, mostly women and children, in a South Vietnamese village. Having taught at a military academy,...
- Me And My Uncle: Justice, Irony, And Schadenfreude
One of the pieces in The Grateful Dead and Philosophy that I really love is the one written by own playground playpal Hanno. It's called "Me and My Uncle...and Thomas Hobbes" and examines a question that arises out of the Dead's most performed...
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I suppose this is more a sociological question rather than one of philosophical epistemology. Suppose you have a valuable packet of scientific astronomy truth that you wished to present to the International Astronomical Union but you were poor in nature...