Discrete rationality
Over the last view days I've become increasingly aware of notion of discrete logic and how in some ways, many ways, my life is comprised of a confusing mesh of an unending number of mutually exclusive rationalities rather than being a symbiotic amalgam of ideals all flowing from one core. To demonstrate what I'm trying to describe I offer this hypothetical: Lets say I go out to lunch and decide to order takeout. On my way back to the office, let's say I encounter a homeless person who forcefully relieves me of my lunch. How am I to react?
On the one hand, I'm instinctively incensed because of the violation of my person and the fact that my sustenance is jeopardized by the loss of my food. In fact the whole notion of restitution upon which much of our society's legal system rests encourages that I not only be incensed, but also go ahead and a payback for my losses. Yet on the other hand, I'm called to be sacrificial; rejoice in that I've been able to relieve the suffering of another human being and that's an honorable thing to do.
Still the question; what to do in that situation?
In the persistence of that question, we are forced to address a narrow ethical dilemma. This dilemma is "narrow" in that there isn't much else in the way of pre, con, and post-text to the hypothetical situation I just proposed. There is no room to contemplate the situation from a broader perspective. The entirety of my person is parochially reduced to the status of being an ethical being; nothing more. Information about whether and when I would had last had food would shed an interesting light on this situation. Likewise, finding out more about the person and their story would aid one's analysis of the situation.
This is not how we are trained to think. Society indoctrinates children with discrete logics about language, math, science etc. starting at a very young age. Interestingly, it seems to me that little effort is put into acquainting these kids with notions about a holistic outlook in life. The same is true on the job for adults, very few companies take cross training as seriously as they take divvy up the task at hand into spheres of specialty. "Niche marketing" is the term given to the development of discrete sales pitches. The whole field of ethics is contest of discrete ethics that sometimes are at odds with each other
Who's responsibility is it to tout the whole, the non discrete? How do we keep ourselves from falling witlessly into the parochialism that dominates our world today? How far back do we need to step back?
I hope these questions are not only rhetorical, but can also serve as guides for the times when we're pressed into a discrete take on a situation.
On the one hand, I'm instinctively incensed because of the violation of my person and the fact that my sustenance is jeopardized by the loss of my food. In fact the whole notion of restitution upon which much of our society's legal system rests encourages that I not only be incensed, but also go ahead and a payback for my losses. Yet on the other hand, I'm called to be sacrificial; rejoice in that I've been able to relieve the suffering of another human being and that's an honorable thing to do.
Still the question; what to do in that situation?
In the persistence of that question, we are forced to address a narrow ethical dilemma. This dilemma is "narrow" in that there isn't much else in the way of pre, con, and post-text to the hypothetical situation I just proposed. There is no room to contemplate the situation from a broader perspective. The entirety of my person is parochially reduced to the status of being an ethical being; nothing more. Information about whether and when I would had last had food would shed an interesting light on this situation. Likewise, finding out more about the person and their story would aid one's analysis of the situation.
This is not how we are trained to think. Society indoctrinates children with discrete logics about language, math, science etc. starting at a very young age. Interestingly, it seems to me that little effort is put into acquainting these kids with notions about a holistic outlook in life. The same is true on the job for adults, very few companies take cross training as seriously as they take divvy up the task at hand into spheres of specialty. "Niche marketing" is the term given to the development of discrete sales pitches. The whole field of ethics is contest of discrete ethics that sometimes are at odds with each other
Who's responsibility is it to tout the whole, the non discrete? How do we keep ourselves from falling witlessly into the parochialism that dominates our world today? How far back do we need to step back?
I hope these questions are not only rhetorical, but can also serve as guides for the times when we're pressed into a discrete take on a situation.
posted by Kundai at 6:54 AM
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