HelenM

...to make fun of theists who are less smart than you are?

This is a serious question because I find it very hard not to, at times...

love
Helen

Alonzo Fyfe

If it is simply a matter of being less smart, I would say no. It would be wrong to make fun of somebody for an accidental trait they could not help.

(In school, a lot of people made fun of an epileptic friend of mine -- an accidental trait. That was wrong.)

Besides some theists are very intelligent. Wrong, but intelligent.

It is appropriate to make fun of people as a way of conditioning them to be better people -- making fun of poor traits of character as a way of discouraging others from mimicing thost traits of character.

I think that the eagerness with which some theists ruin the lives of others and think it justified, moral hypocracy, and arrogance of thinking "even though I have no evidence for my beliefs and support them purely on faith, I am so certain of the truth of my belief that I can force you to accept them" all are examples of traits of character that should be discouraged.

And making fun of people who display those traits is one way of discouraging the development of those traits.

cleopas

I would first ask if you feel the morality of your actions depends on who the actions are aimed at.. shouldn't the answer you seek apply to anyone you felt smarter than and made fun of, regardless of beliefs or disbeliefs? Or were you implying that you already have an answer for the morality of that act aimed at anyone but a theist?

As morality is often discussed as subjective thing, albeit arguably so, I would prompt you to find your subjective answer by asking you a question..one that does not imply that the morality of a thing might depend on someone else's beliefs or lack thereof.

If anyone, who thought they were smarter than you, made fun of you for expressing your thoughts, would you possibly perceive that person as engaging in an immoral behavior? If you can find an honest answer within, well, there you go

peace,

cleopas

Corwin

It's perfectly all right to do it....

You just have to feel really bad about it afterward.



[ May 13, 2002: Message edited by: Corwin ]</p>

HelenM

Yeah but that ruins all the fun of it!

love
Helen

agapeo

[...to make fun of theists who are less smart than you are?]

Well, it might not be immoral, but it might not be too smart either.

HelenM

I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but...what makes you say that?

love
Helen

dangin

since survival of the fittest, or more properly, the most fit breed, is the word of the day. Actually the word of all time, then the more fit should have no qualms about pissing all over the less fit. Nature set it up that way.

Lisa Simpson "Principal Skinner, I'm bored in school"

Skinner "Well we could make classes more difficult, but that would be unfair to the less intelligent students, furrowing their brows in a failed effort to understand."

HelenM

Are you saying, then...that it would be immoral to resist what 'Nature' calls us to?

love
Helen

Gurdur

Nonsense.

Seen it all before; it's called Social Darwinism, or also falsely-legitimized sociopathy, and is at dismal variance with the actual facts, e.g.
kin selection
group selection
cultural tendencies
evolution of co-operation
and the fact that "unintelligence" in one area does not mean "unintelligence" in all areas.


As to whether it's OK to laugh at someone being wilfully stupid, that very much depends on context and persons.

[ May 15, 2002: Message edited by: Gurdur ]</p>