From: Ascmjk@aol.com
Date: Mon May 24 2004 - 14:39:58 BST
In a message dated 5/23/2004 4:53:32 PM Central Standard Time,
wim.nusselder@antenna.nl writes:
Generally speaking it is irrational to motivate action with unrealistic ends
and not to take side effects and alternative ways to realize them into
account. Irrationality clouds evaluation and adjustment of the morality of
actions. It is immoral to enforce ends that are not shared by those
influenced (with one small exception).
JON:
I would point out that based on the above guidelines, America never would
have fought for its independence from England. Number one, a whole lot of people
considered America's ambitions "unrealistic" in 1776. Number two, the majority
of the people in the colonies did not actively support going to war with
England. Only one third supported the war. One third was against it. One third
didn't care one way or the other (the apathetics of any era). So clearly the
"visionaries" made the war against England happen in 1776. I consider George W
Bush to be such a visionary. It's too early to tell, but if 20 years from now
Iraq is a peaceful democracy (somewhere along the lines of Japan or Germany)
people who criticized Bush's motives in Iraq will grudgingly admit they were
wrong.
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