tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post8691864720796077570..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: Beliefs, Desires, Actions, and OughtAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-50438059945115034732012-07-01T17:09:14.252-06:002012-07-01T17:09:14.252-06:00Matthew Fuller
It is not the case that a person w...<b>Matthew Fuller</b><br /><br />It is not the case that a person with good desires fulfills (objectively satisfies) the most desires of other people - to the best of their knowledge or otherwise.<br /><br />A person with good desires has those desires that other people have the most and strongest reason to promote.<br /><br />The next question is, do people generally have any particular reason to promote a set of desires that would have humans creating as many humans as possible?<br /><br />I think that would be a difficult case to make.<br /><br />Let's take a simple case. I have a desire to laugh. Because of my desire, I cause in you a desire to cause laughter in others. Here we are - you are causing laughter and I am laughing.<br /><br />There is nothing at all in this scenario that suggests "creating more humans and shaping their development to want to create more humans".Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-21466940731398245432012-07-01T12:31:21.248-06:002012-07-01T12:31:21.248-06:00So a person who has good desires is a person that ...So a person who has good desires is a person that fulfills the most desires of other people to the best of their knowledge?<br /><br />If so, wouldn't creating more humans and shaping their development to want to create more humans create an infinite loop? Until resources run out of course, but we are slowly gaining the ability to traverse the universe, if we are lucky enough to service a few more centuries at least.<br /><br />You say this isn't true in your blog post, that instead their are no intrinsic desires. I don't believe intrinsic desires exist either. But one needn't invoke intrinsic desires to notice more and more desires get fulfilled by creating people like ourselves (through reproduction and potentially cult like behavior).<br /><br />If this is addressed elsewhere, maybe you should consider writing a book when you have the full theory of desires and morality worked out. Or maybe you could write up a FAQ on your desirism wiki.<br /><br />You are probably a very busy man, and also rather sophisticated, so I am probably missing something I hope.Matthew Fullerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794612505531904382noreply@blogger.com