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VirianPolicy:VirianEthics:SenselessSins

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Senseless Sins

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The 3 Senseless Sins summary:


Dogmatism

Through some twist of fate, western society has come to regard dogmatic faith as a virtue. To hold an idea as true despite all evidence to the contrary is an abdication of reason. Convictions are the end of knowledge, not the beginning; they are the enemy of truth more than lies.

Apathy

There can be no logical argument against apathy. If you don't care about anything then that is pretty much the end of the story. If you don't care about leading a meaningless life, then surely apathy is the key.

Hypocrisy

Our philosophy is expressed through our behaviour, most explicitly through speech acts (e.g. "It's going to rain tomorrow."), but they also underlay every action we commit. When our actions reflect inconsistency with our philosophy we are guilty of hypocrisy. Although unavoidable to some extent (there is simply not enough time to consciously check each action and its consequences against every philosophical value before executing it), every effort should be made to avoid major inconsistencies because they undermine our values, goals and plans. Often hypocrisy goes unnoticed because the connections between philosophy and actions are subtle. How many of us would denounce animal testing yet at the same time not think twice about taking medicine? That is why we must constantly examine and re-evaluate our behaviour and the philosophy it reflects.


See also: VirianVirtues.


Version 8, saved on Tuesday, September 2, 2003 2:10:16 pm.