Posted: May 14, 2016 7:55 pm
igorfrankensteen wrote:My concern is with the many people who don't even realize that they ARE using what they think are 'principles,' but which are actually just "stuff they heard" which seems to work either to make them feel okay about something questionable they did, or work to shut people up who oppose them, or perhaps simply because they heard their parents say them when they were kids.
Why are 'principles someone got told' necessarily worse than 'principles someone made up for themselves'?
As far as principles go, both seem to have the same potential drawbacks of using principles as excuses to stop thinking, as excuses for things someone decided for other reasons, etc.
You seem to be making a false dichotomy between working everything out for oneself and being handed it on a plate.
Someone explaining principles they want someone to share doesn't simply have to throw the principles at their target and run away. If they and their audience are reasonably bright, they can try to explain why they think the principles are worthwhile, and in what kinds of ways they can conflict and have conflicted with other principles.
Would it have been horrible if someone had told you and shown you that good solutions can be difficult and involve trying hard to identify, quantify and balance all the relevant factors?
Would that not have been a good starting point even for someone like you?