I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. (attributed)

Interesting.

From the article:

...the process of becoming a man requires a juvenile male to subordinate his own desires to an objective code of conduct...

I admit that I see this as an inconsistency in Objectivism and other philosophies of individualism. The difference between freedom and hedonism is self-control - submission of the personal will to societal norms. But why should a man control himself? It would only be right to do so if the objective code of conduct were always right - and part of truly becoming a man is questioning the codes by which we are judged. Not necessarily rejecting those codes, but certainly questioning them. This is the classic liberalism that is such an important part of the worldview that you and I hold. I would not choose to live by the societal norms of 70 years ago. Some of the societal changes since then have been improvements, Ram.

I think Justin makes an excellent point when he says:

And what is adolescence but wanting to be free while having no choice but to do as you're told, submit to your parents, teachers and other adults?

I don't understand the "problem" you've tried to demonstrate at the end of your article. How can anyone be a better judge of my life than I? Who are you, or anybody else, to reject my judgment of my life?

Your judgement of your own life is not mine to accept or reject, and wholly irrelevant to how I, your family, and society judges how you live your life. I do reject, however, the Sixties-borne egocentrism that teaches us that our judgement of our lives is superior to societies collective judgement. And you're right, thank god some societal improvements take place over time. In that way, morals are much like memes - always evolving in a survival-of-the-fittest manner. The outright dismissal of these moral memes and social relativism is what feeds the growth of the Nanny State. I'd far rather have my neighbor give me the hairy eyeball for letting my lawn get three feet high than to have the county pass a law dictating to me how often I have to cut my grass.

In the end, I may choose to let my lawn grow otherwise, despite others' judgement. If my entire neighborhood starts to shun me, then perhaps it's an indicator that my judgement of how I live my life may not be the best judgement out there. Probably not the best example, since mowing the lawn is not a moral decision, but hopefully the points been made.

I do reject, however, the Sixties-borne egocentrism that teaches us that our judgement of our lives is superior to societies collective judgement.

I can't attest to understanding fully exactly what the 60's egocentrism was as that was well before my time. However, what I'm preachin' is far from "me me me" rah rah BS. From what I gather, the 60's egocentrism was a lot more about freedom without responsibility, which is hardly a well thought out model for living.

I reject the notion that "societies collective judgement" (to say nothing about defining what that judgment *is*) is superior to my own. If anything, its average, dull and frequently wrong (wrong more often than my own, anyway). I don't think saying as much means that I support 60s egocentrism, but I defer to my earlier comments.

Sorry, one more thing:

I think the cancerous egocentrism passed down from Boomers to my Generation X is nicely summed up in one of Justin's sentences:

For one, I cannot fathom how anyone could be a better judge of my life than me.

And therein lies the problem.

I don't see how that's a problem. As a reasonable person I listen to the advice of those who know me well or to those whose advice is well-reasoned. But as a believer in using questioning and reason to guide my decisions, I think that goes without saying.

Of course, if you just quote that one statement, I can see how it might be misconstrued to support 60's egocentrism, i.e. "we were all great and perfect, and therefore, no one has the authority or right to judge you by how you live your life."

However, I never suggested that the unique snowflake mentality is the reason my judgment is better than "collective societies". It's my ability question and reason combined with my intimate knowledge of my own life that makes my judgment sound. Thus, I have to contest you're taking my quote so out of context -- apologies for poking fun, of course, noted.

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

URL:

Remember This Information? YesNo

Comments: