Some people say being optimistic and hopeful is deceiving ourselves. Others feel being hopeful is the way to keep the mind open to new possibilities. Closing our minds means we won’t recognize them even when they appear. Should we be hopeful even in the face of a roller coaster economy that disappoints often?
Is it better to go through life reacting? Or is it better to ponder why things happen the way they do? Can we learn from the past? Or should we just move on to face each challenge as it comes?
As with any web site, we get our fair share of spam- all of which is carefully edited out to make this a happy and enjoyable place to discuss philosophical and humanistic issues.
Wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone interacted in ways where the other person was put first and treated with courtesy and politeness? (And think of how much time would be saved and how much more smoothly interactions would go if people acted according to social norms and read directions on web sites….Please make posts ONLY if you posting a quotable, pithy or amusing thought that doesn’t include selling something to unsuspecting members….)
Reading about private equity deals recently started me thinking on the topic of greed. Is it all bad? Or can some level be good? Does it spur people on to create new companies and products? Or does it a negative emotion that brings down humanity?
Thoughts?
For some people the keeping within the law is a strategy game where one studies the rules and risks. For others the moral implications are more important. Ethics can be seen as the glue that holds society together- the essential factor that makes it possible for many people to live in close proximity without having war break out (at least that’s the objective). So do we follow the law only as necessary to minimize risk of punishment or to make a coherent workable community?
Sometimes ethics seems to be viewed as old fashioned, nice but… Yet ethics makes society flow smoothly and can reduce legal clashes. Are ethics declining? Do they change over time?
Strange mix this week studying Steve Jobs’ words of wisdom as well as Kant and the categorical imperative. Tim Cook said that one of the last words of advice Steve Jobs gave was “Just do what’s right.” Kant indicates we should decide what to do based on what would happen if our action was applied universally. If we lie, what will happen if everyone lies? Somehow this seems to me close to Jobs’ advice- do the right thing. Thoughts? Quotes? How to you decide on ethics? Remember- all quotes must be original.