tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post3019559407416939958..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: What Is An Obligation?Alonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-37235098233848874462016-04-17T17:49:42.117-06:002016-04-17T17:49:42.117-06:00The impact on other people is captured by other pe...The impact on other people is captured by other people having a reason to praise or condemn. Their reason to praise or condemn is grounded on their seeking to obtain a positive impact or avoid a negative impact.<br /><br />However, the impact is clearly not sufficient. Firing an employee has a negative impact - but firing an employee is not morally prohibited. Opening up a competing store has a negative impact on a store owner, but nobody has an obligation to refrain from doing so.<br /><br />When we try to sort out legitimate from illegitimate negative impacts, it is here here we look at what people have reason to praise or condemn. There are reasons to condemn those who fire their employees, but they pale in significance to the reasons for allowing the hiring and firing of employees generally. There are reasons to condemn refusal to pay back debts, but there are no reasons for allowing people to refuse to pay debts generally.<br />Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-63593233277465423042016-04-17T10:53:53.212-06:002016-04-17T10:53:53.212-06:00To provide more context with an example, if one pr...To provide more context with an example, if one promises themselves do to something (" I will run a mile after work today so that I can eat this chocolate bar") it's not an obligation in my view, because the term 'obligation' implies a social contract between multiple parties and not just oneself. This is different than paying back the $50 you owe a co-worker, because there is a second party involved who will be wronged if you fail to do what was agreed upon. A more closely aligned example and comparison:<br /><br />Obligation: Paying back a co-worker $50 you borrowed at the agreed-upon time.<br /><br />Not an obligation: Paying back yourself $50 you borrowed from your own savings account with the intention of replacing it with savings from your next paycheck.<br /><br />Interested to hear your thoughts on this distinction.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06798222298277681691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-6227430058754284872016-04-17T10:45:40.967-06:002016-04-17T10:45:40.967-06:00this seems to be missing a very important part of ...this seems to be missing a very important part of what an obligation is. Doesn't seem that an obligation starts to become part of the picture when there is an impact to another person or society at large, basically some third party?Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06798222298277681691noreply@blogger.com