User:Fasten/YHVH/Dictionary/precedent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
-
- You can't give up now.
- Why? You have been willing to give up just now. [1]
Attorney and defendant in Inherit the Wind
-
- 'But that's ridiciulous,' Ptaclusp protested weakly. 'They're
- not different people, they're just doing it to themselves.'
- 'That's never stopped anyone, father,' said IIa. 'How many
- men have stopped drinking themselves stupid at the age of twenty
- to save a stranger dying of liver failure at forty?'
Pyramids-137
precedent law : "Your judge is acting according to precedents".
While this may sound like a good idea (e.g. as implemented in the british legal system) it means something different here:
-
- If you carelessly or intentionally misjudge others YHVH does that, too.
- If you ignore the facts and judge according to prejudice YHVH does that, too.
- If you fail to apply ethics when there's no one to judge you YHVH does that, too.
- If you argue to accomplish your goals, even against better knowledge, YHVH does that, too.
- If you try to maintain a positive public image, even against better knowledge, YHVH does that, too.
That's why you might want to leave behind an eye for an eye (AT) and apply more advanced ethics (NT). [2]
karma and precedents may be metaphors for the Categorical Imperative but that doesn't mean they cannot become quite real if you fail to understand and act according to the Categorical Imperative.
Life (the universe, or whatever you want to call it) is an inefficient teacher, compared to a human teacher trying to convey the same, that's why you may prefer mentors over learning from observations. The ability to transfer ethics without learning-by-doing may be among the things a more advanced species could be looking for (see Counterpoint).
- [1] Should an attorney follow the precedents of his defendant? How acceptable would be a judge that does? [3]
- [2] What may make the matter more difficult than 'everybody is responsible for his own precedents' are the suggestions of precedent-karma over several generations and for larger social groups and organizations. See also: Ethical Considerations.
- [3] A judge also assumes authority, which would contradict Credibility, Authority. A teacher is probably a more fitting description.
