When I talk about moral nihilism, I'm not talking about religious debates or anything along those lines. I'm talking about people who try to claim that there is no such thing as right and wrong. Once in a while I encounter one of these people, and they always seem to think they are so enlightened and above everyone else. As someone who has experienced sadistic abuse at the hands of another, I probably feel a little emotionally "triggered" by such things, but it also always goes the same way.
First I test how much they really believe what they are saying, by asking them for their thoughts on child sexual abuse / assault, I really just go right for the throat with it because I don't want to waste a bunch of time arguing about things that are more in the grey area, I really want to put their theory to the test. So I ask for their views on that and if they think it is morally right or wrong, or neither.
And pretty much every time the person just emotionally explodes. They become extremely defensive and angry, and try to backtrack on their previous stance, to the point that they start contradicting themselves. They might offer up excuses such as, "Child rapists don't think they are doing anything wrong, it's a matter of perspective."
As another example, I even encountered one of them today who tried to convince me that slave owners don't free their slaves only because the slave owners believe that the slaves couldn't survive without guidance - i.e. that ultimately the slave owner has benevolent intentions. For the record, I really disagree with this.
At that point I try to explain to them what I have learned about psychopaths, as far as how they are fully capable of understanding right and wrong, and know when they are hurting others - they just don't care. I try to offer some work by Robert Hare as a starting point.
The conversation tends to just keep devolving until the other person is reduced to ad hominem attacks, self-contradicting and is veering all over the place, and I just feel like some e-bully troll who has upset someone with nothing productive coming out of it. Massive sigh.
But later when I'm not so worked up about it and am calm enough to be a little more empathetic, I wonder if it stems from people who have been mistreated and are in denial, dissociation or some flavor of Stockholm Syndrome. Because at the end of the day, they seem to feel very strongly that they not be considered morally neutral after all, but it's like there is an intense inner conflict as far as wanting to make excuses for perpetrators. I figure this must be coming from somewhere.
Because I also figure that if they themselves were just predatory types, they wouldn't get so terribly defensive and emotional, they would probably just do what most edgelord internet trolls do and try to provoke further, with statements like, "Yep nothing wrong with child rape," just to try to get a rise out of people. Instead these people seem actually be quite emotionally sensitive and even confused.
Part of me wonders if maybe half the reason I feel so compelled to debate them, is because I see them as vulnerable, like their views will make them more vulnerable to predatory people. "It's not my fault, feel sorry for me," could work well on those people. But in the end all that happens is that they freak out and I feel like an ass.
First I test how much they really believe what they are saying, by asking them for their thoughts on child sexual abuse / assault, I really just go right for the throat with it because I don't want to waste a bunch of time arguing about things that are more in the grey area, I really want to put their theory to the test. So I ask for their views on that and if they think it is morally right or wrong, or neither.
And pretty much every time the person just emotionally explodes. They become extremely defensive and angry, and try to backtrack on their previous stance, to the point that they start contradicting themselves. They might offer up excuses such as, "Child rapists don't think they are doing anything wrong, it's a matter of perspective."
As another example, I even encountered one of them today who tried to convince me that slave owners don't free their slaves only because the slave owners believe that the slaves couldn't survive without guidance - i.e. that ultimately the slave owner has benevolent intentions. For the record, I really disagree with this.
At that point I try to explain to them what I have learned about psychopaths, as far as how they are fully capable of understanding right and wrong, and know when they are hurting others - they just don't care. I try to offer some work by Robert Hare as a starting point.
The conversation tends to just keep devolving until the other person is reduced to ad hominem attacks, self-contradicting and is veering all over the place, and I just feel like some e-bully troll who has upset someone with nothing productive coming out of it. Massive sigh.
But later when I'm not so worked up about it and am calm enough to be a little more empathetic, I wonder if it stems from people who have been mistreated and are in denial, dissociation or some flavor of Stockholm Syndrome. Because at the end of the day, they seem to feel very strongly that they not be considered morally neutral after all, but it's like there is an intense inner conflict as far as wanting to make excuses for perpetrators. I figure this must be coming from somewhere.
Because I also figure that if they themselves were just predatory types, they wouldn't get so terribly defensive and emotional, they would probably just do what most edgelord internet trolls do and try to provoke further, with statements like, "Yep nothing wrong with child rape," just to try to get a rise out of people. Instead these people seem actually be quite emotionally sensitive and even confused.
Part of me wonders if maybe half the reason I feel so compelled to debate them, is because I see them as vulnerable, like their views will make them more vulnerable to predatory people. "It's not my fault, feel sorry for me," could work well on those people. But in the end all that happens is that they freak out and I feel like an ass.
