LESSWRONG
LW

All of markhank's Comments + Replies

Acting Wholesomely
markhank20

I don’t agree with “wholesomeness” as a moral guide but I did at least understand it if you were defining it as conformity with the existing system.

If I’ve understood you correctly now the maxim is “act wholesomely (conforming with prevailing rules and expectations) unless that wouldn’t in fact be wholesome (which in this context is defined differently, as meaning ‘having consideration for what is good for the whole’).”

(Or to use your architectural analogy, build your building in line with the others unless there’s a good reason not to)

That’s fine, as far ... (read more)

Reply
2owencb
I doubt this is very helpful for our carefully-considered ethical notions of what's good. I think it may be helpful as a heuristic for helping people to more consistently track what's good, and avoid making what they'd later regard as mistakes.
Acting Wholesomely
markhank30

The central problem with the ethical system that you have outlined here is that it does not allow for challenge to the prevailing cultural norms.

Acting wholesomely means paying attention to the whole system around us, and contributing well as a part of that whole without introducing unnecessary friction or pain points

is fine in a system which is working well, but entirely inappropriate in a system which needs radical reform, which your ethical framework does not allow for.

Allow me to adopt some of your examples to demonstrate when "unwholesome" activi... (read more)

Reply
4owencb
I think that there is some important unwholesomeness in these things, but that isn't supposed to mean that they're never permitted. (Sorry, I see how it could give that impression; but in the cases you're discussing there would often be greater unwholesomeness in not doing something.) I discuss how I think my notion of wholesomeness intersects with these kind of examples in the section on visionary thought and revolutionary action in the third essay.