tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post3506151465340694757..comments2024-03-28T05:47:54.177+00:00Comments on Philosophical Disquisitions: Jewish Ethics by Menachem KellnerJohn Danaherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06761686258507859309noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post-16048027664590338182010-01-26T10:32:46.578+00:002010-01-26T10:32:46.578+00:00Actually, I was just repeating what Kellner says i...Actually, I was just repeating what Kellner says in his essay. He describes it as a personal idiosyncrasy because he doesn't like to be nagged.<br /><br />Maybe, this could be better justified by reference to liberal theories such as Mill's (i.e. those based on the harm principle). The idea is that (a) it is best to leave people discover their own path to personal fulfillment and (b) utopian ideologies -- such as, say, communism -- which try to actively interfere and change people for the better are nearly always disastrous.<br /><br />So, the Christian version of the Golden rule, with its positive "do unto others" formulation seems to allow for active interference; whereas Hillel's version, with its negative "do not do unto others" formulation, seems to be based on the idea of "let well alone".<br /><br />I seem to recall Karl Popper reached a similar conclusion in his two-volume work: The Open Society and Its Enemies.John Danaherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761686258507859309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780806945960886534.post-23623913250928428852010-01-26T10:02:55.334+00:002010-01-26T10:02:55.334+00:00John D., this is my first comment on your blog. I ...John D., this is my first comment on your blog. I enjoy reading your posts very much and I hope you won't stop any time soon. The reason I write this is because I don't really understand the following: "Arguably this is superior to the Christian variation because it is formulated in the negative, i.e. in terms of non-inference." Could you please be more explicit. I am not a philosopher, but I want to understand as much as I can about this domain. Thank you.<br /><br />P.S. I look foreward to seeing more on The Non-Existence of God series :)Bogdanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15449119709471870254noreply@blogger.com