At 10:49 PM 3/9/01 -0800 Doug Pensinger wrote:
>"John D. Giorgis" wrote:
>>
>> At 09:21 PM 3/6/01 -0800 Doug Pensinger wrote:
>> >Answering a question, especially a moot question such as the one you
>> offered*,
>> >is not the same as proclaiming moral superiority. And example of
proclaiming
>> >moral superiority would be the leader of one country calling another
country
>> >an "evil empire".
>>
>> So if a leader of a country proclaims another country to be an "Evil
>> Empire", then the leader's country is *by definition* not morally superior
>> to the other country?
>>
>> Do I understand you right?
>>
>
>The statements of one person do not automatically implicate the entire
>population of a country even if he is the leader of said country.
Well, now you are completely losing me. You have gone from strongly
insinuating the the United States is not morally superior to Russia because
*by definition* when I asked rhetorically "what if we are morally
superior?" it made it not so - to now saying that it only becomes by
definition not so only when moral superiority is proclaimed. You then
went a step further and strongly insinuated that the United States was not
morally superior to the Soviet Union because the leader of the United
States called the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire" - but now you say that even
the statement of a leader does not implicate the entire country.
Now that I am completely bamboozled, let me try and clear things up with
some simple "Yes/No" questions. Please answer with a "Yes/No", and then
explain your answer if you wish.
1) Do you believe that it is possible for individual A to be morally
superior to individual B?
(If yes, continue, if no, skip to question #4)
2) If individual A says privately to individual B "I am morally superior to
you, individual B." - is individual A *by definition* not morally superior
to individual B?
3) If individual A says publicly (for example, to the front page editor of
the NY Times): "I am morally superior to individual B!" - is individual A
*by definition* not morally superior to individual B?
4) If individual A privately condemns individual B, saying "You are an evil
one, individual B" - is individual A *by definition* not morally superior
to individual B?
5) If individual A says publicly (for example, to the front page editor of
the NY Times): "Individual B is an evil one!" - is individual A *by
definition* not morally superior to individual B?
6) Do you believe that it is possible for country X to be morally superior
to country W?
(If yes, continue, if no, you may stop here.)
7) If the leader of country X says privately to the leader of country Y
"Country X is morally superior to your country!" - is country X *by
definition* not morally superior to country Y?"
8) If the leader of country X say publicly (for example, to the front page
editor of the NY Times): "Country X is morally superior to your country!" -
is country X *by definition* not morally superior to country Y?"
9) If the leader of country X says privately to the leader of country Y
"Country Y is an evil empire!" - is country X *by definition* not morally
superior to country Y?"
10) If the leader of country X say publicly (for example, to the front page
editor of the NY Times): "Country Y is an evil empire!" - is country X *by
definition* not morally superior to country Y?"
11) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Do you privately think
that your country, country X, is morally superior to country Y?" answer
"Yes" - - is country X *by definition* not morally superior to country Y?"
12) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Do you privately think
that your country, country X, is morally superior to country Y?" answer
"Yes" - are _those people_ who answered yes *by definition* not morally
superior to country Y?
13) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Do you privately think
that another country, country Y is an Evil Empire?" answer "Yes" - - is
country X *by definition* not morally superior to country Y?"
14) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Do you privately think
that another country, country Y is an Evil Empire?" answer "Yes" - are
_those people_ who answered yes *by definition* not morally superior to
country Y?
15) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Would you be willing to
publicly state, such that most people would know your opinion, that your
country, country X, is morally superior to country Y?" answer "Yes" - - is
country X *by definition* not morally superior to country Y?"
16) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Would you be willing to
publicly state, such that most people would know your opinion, that your
country, country X, is morally superior to country Y?" answer "Yes" - are
_those people_ who answered yes *by definition* not morally superior to
country Y?
17) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Would you be willing to
publicly state, such that most people would know your opinion, that
another country, country Y is an Evil Empire?" answer "Yes" - - is country
X *by definition* not morally superior to country Y?"
18) If a majority of people, when asked in a poll "Would you be willing to
publicly state, such that most people would know your opinion, that
another country, country Y is an Evil Empire?" answer "Yes" - are _those
people_ who answered yes *by definition* not morally superior to country Y?
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
"The point of living in a Republic after all, is that we do not live by
majority rule. We live by laws and a variety of isntitutions designed
to check each other." -Andrew Sullivan 01/29/01
