View original post
I mean, okay, if you want to take my statement in a pretty obvious context and extrapolate into a universal principle, yes, we can discuss that,
I thought we could, but it appears we cannot. Why did you think I was doing anything else?
View original postIn any event, I still think you're wrong. There are plenty of various moral laws which everyone breaks-lying, for instance, or lust. Most people raised in a Christian culture believe these to be immoral acts, but virtually everyone engages in them. The fact that people believe these to be bad acts while engaging in them doesn't reveal any preference about the abolition of these moral imperatives; it reveals a general human difficulty in adhering to them.
Here is where we part ways, I guess. I think the true statement "Everyone lies" exposes the rule "Lying is wrong" as a gross oversimplification. The kind of rule we should stop believing in once we reach a level of maturity that can handle nuance. People lie all the time for the greater good and will continue to do so. Some lies do far more good than they will ever do harm.
View original postSo no, it's not that partisanship is blinding me to your argument--it's that your argument depends on an uncharitable interpretation on what I said and isn't even a very good principle in any case.
View original postEDIT: This came out grouchier than I intended, for which I apologize. I am irritated at the accusation of partisanship, which I think gets thrown about far too freely and is rarely a relevant talking point. Most of the people here are deeply partisan, but the fact that Tom is firmly on the other side of the aisle from me doesn't have any bearing on the merit of his arguments.
Well, I apologize for upsetting you - that wasn't intended. I really did just want to discuss the principle and it appears you thought I was arguing for a side...?
As per your original question, I recall being asked on another site whether Snowden was a hero or a traitor and answering that he was probably both.