May 25, 2007

I'd just like to say that I'm not religious, but I'm also not strictly athiest. It's my belief (which I recently found is very similar to Einstein's view) that if there's a universal, intelligent, creative force larger than ourselves, it is simply beyond our very limited comprehension and probably always will be. That said, I feel strongly that I'm morally superior to most people, especially the religious, because I live by a system of flexible logic instead of an outdated code. For instance, it is clear that the majority of animals we use for our food, clothing and medicinal research are tortured before or as they are slaughtered. It doesn't take an enormous intellect to conclude that animals have similar feelings and emotions to our own. And any half-moral person would agree that torture is something that should be avoided. Therefore, I don't participate at all in that process. But I am a tiny minority in that respect. Thus: superior morality. Meanwhile, Christians, as a patent example, are getting fatter and fatter off the fruit of torture and the ignorance it implies, and in many more ways than one.

I would be very careful about describing yourself as "morally superior to most people." For example -- even if you would consider it outdated -- much of kosher law involved an attempt to act morally toward animals used for food, and there are many non-vegetarians (I'm assuming you're vegan) who work hard to make sure that food animals do not suffer and that the suffering of animals used in research is minimized. It is also not nearly as clear as you say that animals have feelings and emotions similar to our own -- for example, animals obviously don't feel about torture the same way you do.

The "outdated code" you talk about -- assuming you're referring to Judeo-Christian morality -- changed a lot over the centuries as civilization developed, and it continues to change. It is not as inflexible as you imply.

I also would like to know more about the system of flexible logic by which you live. I assume that there are some inflexible roots, otherwise you could easily end up with nothing but situational ethics.

As much as I applaud your harm-free existence (I'm assuming vegan, no animal-tested medicines or products, animal-friendly home, etc.), I can't say that it makes you necessarily superior to anyone else who lives an examined life.

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