Comments on: Choices And Significance http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/ Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:16:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Jew http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2775 Jew Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:17:42 +0000 http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2775 I'm not sure I understand what Taylor is getting at. Let's say I'm pro-choice. I think abortion has no moral significance, it's just a choice that people make. Why can't I justify my belief based on an appeal to the right to choose? Is freedom of choice (in all matters) not a vital component of liberty? I'm not convinced that appealing to choice and denying the existence of moral significance makes the debate any less important. Maybe we're just shifting the moral ground, though: in the abortion debate, one side is arguing based on the morality of abortion, and the other is arguing based on the morality of free choice as a necessary component of liberty. Is that what Taylor is getting at? I’m not sure I understand what Taylor is getting at. Let’s say I’m pro-choice. I think abortion has no moral significance, it’s just a choice that people make. Why can’t I justify my belief based on an appeal to the right to choose? Is freedom of choice (in all matters) not a vital component of liberty?

I’m not convinced that appealing to choice and denying the existence of moral significance makes the debate any less important. Maybe we’re just shifting the moral ground, though: in the abortion debate, one side is arguing based on the morality of abortion, and the other is arguing based on the morality of free choice as a necessary component of liberty. Is that what Taylor is getting at?

]]> By: thainamu http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2777 thainamu Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:42:03 +0000 http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2777 I doubt I really understood much of that, but I have thought about the concept of choice. What happens to us when we have too many choices? (Think buying a cup of coffee at a yuppie coffee shop or getting lunch at a full-service cafeteria or buying toilet paper.) We become overwhelmed, we become frustrated with trying to make sense of them all, we try to categorize the options. We waste our time spinning our wheels trying to deal with minutiae . Having too many choices, especially if they are all morally equal, does lead to insignificance and thus to malaise. I doubt I really understood much of that, but I have thought about the concept of choice. What happens to us when we have too many choices? (Think buying a cup of coffee at a yuppie coffee shop or getting lunch at a full-service cafeteria or buying toilet paper.) We become overwhelmed, we become frustrated with trying to make sense of them all, we try to categorize the options. We waste our time spinning our wheels trying to deal with minutiae . Having too many choices, especially if they are all morally equal, does lead to insignificance and thus to malaise.

]]> By: Bryan http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2782 Bryan Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:52:50 +0000 http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2782 Jew, what I think he's opposing here is someone who who denies morality and thinks everything is simply a choice without moral significance. If someone tries to justify their choice on the basis that they have "the right to choose" Taylor might say "Yes, you do. But why is it important?" I think Taylor would agree that freedom of choice is a moral issue (in fact I'm sure of it) but when an issue such as homosexuality or abortion comes up he would say that freedom is all good, but why is it an issue worth fighting over? There are other issues that involve freedom of choice (forced recycling), but they are not treated like these because in these cases there is another component; obvious moral significance. Jew, what I think he’s opposing here is someone who who denies morality and thinks everything is simply a choice without moral significance. If someone tries to justify their choice on the basis that they have “the right to choose” Taylor might say “Yes, you do. But why is it important?”

I think Taylor would agree that freedom of choice is a moral issue (in fact I’m sure of it) but when an issue such as homosexuality or abortion comes up he would say that freedom is all good, but why is it an issue worth fighting over? There are other issues that involve freedom of choice (forced recycling), but they are not treated like these because in these cases there is another component; obvious moral significance.

]]> By: Jew http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2783 Jew Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:18:18 +0000 http://zealfortruth.org/2007/11/choices-and-significance/#comment-2783 Thanks Bryan, that makes sense. I'm not sure I buy it completely--couldn't you base the argument on pragmatism rather than morality? Abortion is worth fighting over because raising a child is time-consuming and expensive; forced recycling is not worth fighting over because it's a minor irritation at worst. But I can agree that morality is a root component of every justification of significant issues. Thanks Bryan, that makes sense. I’m not sure I buy it completely–couldn’t you base the argument on pragmatism rather than morality? Abortion is worth fighting over because raising a child is time-consuming and expensive; forced recycling is not worth fighting over because it’s a minor irritation at worst. But I can agree that morality is a root component of every justification of significant issues.

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