Topic: Abortion
Quote: My stance on morality is based on the following observations:\n1. "I" for me means my mental self, with my physical self just tagging along.\n2. I do not wish to suffer or to have those I care about suffer.\n3. I feel empathy toward others and often feel sorry for the suffering of others.\nThose are observations, not proclamations.\nThe way I choose a moral code to avoid the problem of suffering is to essentially make a theoretical deal with others to have a mutual moral code that we will all treat each other as we ourselves would be treated - in this way, all of us can win out and I solve my problem of points 2 and 3. Perhaps there are other better ways of finding a solution for societies to avoid suffering, but I haven\'t heard of one. I did not choose this solution arbitrarily. I chose it since it makes sense and should theoretically work and since many, if not most people, at least make some effort at using that moral code anyway so this moral code is at least partially universally adopted. It is the best moral option I have ever heard to address my concern about suffering.\nWhat is arbitrary about the reasoning I presented above? What unsupported proclamations do you claim that I have made?\nEither way, are you proposing that all moral systems are equally arbitrary and therefore equally valid? In your scenario, someone could come up with an arbitrary proclamation "black people should be slaves to white people" and build a morality based on that. My moral approach questions that proclamation as well and thus avoids un-necessary human suffering.
Response: First off, all equally arbitrary doesn't mean they are all valid. If I made a mistake let me clear that up now :)\nSecondly, you still have an arbitrary system going there. The idea that many people believe something doesn't make it true. Furthermore, your observations still make several assumptions that in fact are proclamations. Obviously people have come to observe different things from you...all of which can't be proven (in the sense we mean it) and all of which are abitrary.
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