thread: 2005-05-16 : Violence
On 2005-05-18, the GreyOrm wrote:
Ralph, you state "That it has become (in some circles) so horrifically unacceptable is a curious blip of modern culture." And yet this fundamental premise of your argument is completely false.
I dare say that every single important spiritual and religious leader in our collective human history has proclaimed the unacceptable nature of violence. From Lao Tzu in the Tao, to Bhudda, to Christ, to Gerald Gardner and modern Wicca, violence has been decried throughout human history. The view of violence as a bad thing is not some "curious blip of modern culture," but a fundamental and historical human viewpoint.
Second, your entire argument rests on one presumption: because it is, it is ok. Let me represent your argument for you: there have always been slaves throughout human history, our greatest civilizations (including America) were built on the back of slave labor, and our greatest cultures saw slavery as good and acceptable. Therefore if you are opposed to slavery you are a fool. Slavery is just a tool, after all, and its how you treat the slaves that really matters. That slavery is automatically seen as a bad thing is just a curious blip of modern culture.
Or, "as long as I get what I want, and what I want is good, it is ok." Sounds to me curiously like an argument that the ends justify the means. That because I get freedom and safety from violence, violence is a good and acceptable way to get it.
Ultimately, since there is a better way, and violence has been decried throughout history by the wisest of us, I can't see anything in your argument that is a basis for violence being a "good" thing.
