principles

[worldandtime]

Periodically, I think about principles and how they--and their lack--influence our behavior. The intellectual difficulties are greatest, I find, when there are competing goods although there can be huge practical issues even when the ethical issue itself seems clear-cut.

Comments

[candance]

also, shouldnt we always question our own principles? and this is assuming that there is a "right" thing to do-and arent our actions, in the end, based on our consciences, which is really based on what would make us feel the best/least bad. hmm, interesting.

[worldandtime]

Yes, we should question our own principles--which doesn't necessarily mean changing them. What makes this all so difficult seems to me to be three things: 1) you need to have some principles to start with, and they should (I think) include a mixture of "standing up for what's right" and "being compassionate about (the shortcomings of)others; 2) you need to realize that sometimes your principles of action don't adequately cover all the cases you may run into (which means you sometimes need to make exceptions for them or modify them); 3) you need to take action when action is needed so that you don't necessarily have time for a "perfect" answer

[anonymous]

You've struck on an idea that I've always somewhat sensed, but could never describe quite so articulately

[worldandtime]

I went to a management-consultant's session at a national meeting a number of years ago, and he said that when you join a new group, you always want to learn early on "where the lines are drawn." Not to ensure that you never cross them but to ensure that you know it when you do so