htown1980: 1. I didn't say I was always sure of myself, just that when it comes to when something is moral or immoral, its not really that difficult to know which is which. I might not always do the moral thing, but if I am not doing it, I usually know.
2. I have no difficulty questioning myself.
Sorry, I don't buy this. You say you're questioning yourself but when it comes to one of the most subjective and most debated thing in the world, like whats right and wrong you alwyas know the answer? Have you ever thought about even simple ethic dilemmas like the Trolley problem (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem)?
htown1980: I have no idea what you are trying to say here. You don't understand there is a distinction between religion and morality? Its a fairly fundamental concept. I'm not sure which part of it you have difficulty with?
Religion are early morale systems covered up with some mysticism. While philosophers since have made progress to rationalize morality, religions have still the largest influence on the morale believes of the vast majority of people on earth (sadly - in my opinion).
htown1980: One *could* argue that illegal actions were necessary? COULD? If you genuinely think that one COULD only argue that those illegal actions were necessary, you need to do some more research. There are plenty of scholars who have discussed the effect of civil disobedience in those situations.
I agree Catalonia isn't a major issue. My comment wasn't about Catalonia it was about your comment that "Breaking the law because, well... "i know better and my cause is more just", does more harm than it helps even if you are right about it."
That's simply incorrect. I appreciate that you obviously know very little about the history of civil disobedience in South Africa and the USA, but that doesn't make your comment any less incorrect.
As long as we can't alter history and see what would have happend, we can only make assumptions. Also weighting the costs of civil unrest vs social progress gained is a delicate matter at best. Just think of all that revolutions that ultimately went very very wrong...
However I think I should specify my statement a little more: Breaking the law because, well... "i know better and my cause is more just", does more harm than it helps even if you are right about it (as long as you live in a free,constitutional and democratic country that offers you legal means to pursuit your goals). - Sorry I assumed that was clear given the topic. At least you didn't came up with Nazis...
richlind33: Some parts of the world value objectivity, and some don't; where would you prefer to live?
If you happen to find a part of the world where objectivity is valued, tell me where it is. I'll pack my bags...