On 23/01/2009, at 1:16 PM, Noah Slater wrote:
I like relativism, but I try to avoid the nihilistic or laissez-fair
tendencies
of naïve relativism.
I'm a moral absolutist. But I don't regard that many things as moral
questions worthy of judgement, at least not compared to the universe
of 'things'.
In any case, what does Dickinson have to do with ethical objectivism?
That poem is about the importance of taking care in discussing
subjects that have incendiary potential.
What are your thoughts on Kant?
I subscribe to the concept of the categorical imperative, although
it's a tough master. But then again my head is Nietzschean, my heart
is with Singer and my gut is Kantian.
I wouldn't presume to think you weren't already well versed with the
free
software philosophy, but I think it's important to point out that
free software
is about software freedom, not price.
I understand the distinction, and I have some disagreements with
software freedom as expressed by the FSF, but in that comment I was
thinking of music piracy.
The concept of software freedom is abused by software pirates/
crackers, who don't want the freedom so much as the zero cost. They
don't learn from the software, or modify it. And redistributing
without changes IS about price. IMO the last sentence of the very
first paragraph of 'Why “Open Source” misses the point of Free
Software' is at best badly expressed, at worst, a deliberate mis-
statement.
But please let us agree to disagree about that ... I'm stating my
position, but I really don't want to argue about something that has
proved such a fruitless and destructive battleground.
Antony Blakey
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The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a
faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant
and has forgotten the gift.
-- Albert Einstein
