Should what one values be consistent?

[fakename]

I think the answer is yes because you can’t be a good man and do bad things. But then again, what happens when you don’t know what you should value more -confusion? As long as we can be confused value-consistency doesn’t seem to be a necessary ingredient of a good man.

What do you think?

 

[francisca]

I think the answer is yes because you can’t be a good man and do bad things. But then again, what happens when you don’t know what you should value more -confusion? As long as we can be confused value-consistency doesn’t seem to be a necessary ingredient of a good man.

What do you think?

Many people live without really think much about values, they are not inherently bad. I do believe that people are created good. Some perversions in the way of we think is the one turn a good person into the power of some bad habits or some bad thoughts. In the end God is the one to make somebody good, not the person himself. Even if he is a non-believer, it is still goodness providence the one to keep him good, such as having good family background, good friends support, having good things happen at the right times, good supply in times of need, etc.

So, should what one values be consistent? I would say nobody is perfect. So, no. People are not always logical and aware of what they do all the time.

 

[JoshuaNY]

I think it is important to stick to your guns in what you value. However, it is not an end all be all of being a good person. I beleive it is possible for a good person to do a bad thing and still remain a good person.
Let me offer you the ethical situation below.
“You are a Platoon Commander in a battle and you capture a prisoner of war. You are unable to bring him to your lines and are unable to bring him with you. If you let him go he will undoubtably kill you and your men, if you kill him then you have killed a defenseless man who surrendered.”
If the leader of that Platoon Commander decides to kill the enemy soldier does that make him a bad person?

Joshua:

 

[fakename]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I think that what you value should be consistent because if not then you shouldn’t be consistent in what you value. But to value this consistently would mean that you should value consistently and there results a whole host of contradictions from this. I think that in the event of confusion then, one must have some rule to decide what to do even if it is to do nothing.

I think one church approved way of solving moral dilemmas is to do what you think a good person would do even if you don’t certainly know what a good person would do -but make sure you that your execution of what you intend is as good as it should be.

 

[Joel_PF]

If one is confused, then they can’t be consistent, can they?
I think that a confused good person would, first of all, try to solve their confusion, and reach more consistent values.

I think that, while they are confused, they need some external guidance, external rules. That’s the great thing about the 10 Commandments, about lists of sins and vices, etc. They offer us external guidance and help us sort our values better to gradually reach a consistent state.

I imagine that a saint would never or very rarely be confused. He/she is so matured in grace and virtue that they always know what to do, and do it.

 

[fakename]

If one is confused, then they can’t be consistent, can they?
I think that a confused good person would, first of all, try to solve their confusion, and reach more consistent values.

I think that, while they are confused, they need some external guidance, external rules. That’s the great thing about the 10 Commandments, about lists of sins and vices, etc. They offer us external guidance and help us sort our values better to gradually reach a consistent state.

I imagine that a saint would never or very rarely be confused. He/she is so matured in grace and virtue that they always know what to do, and do it.

I would agree but not without some re-labeling issues. The you can’t be consistent when confused about the same thing in the same manner, but there can be meta-rules that one has to follow when consistency fails in the lower levels -for instance when I have a moral dilemma I have to use a meta-rule that decides what I should do in this instance (either to solve the dilemma or not).

 

[davidv]

I would agree but not without some re-labeling issues. The you can’t be consistent when confused about the same thing in the same manner, but there can be meta-rules that one has to follow when consistency fails in the lower levels -for instance when I have a moral dilemma I have to use a meta-rule that decides what I should do in this instance (either to solve the dilemma or not).

What meta-rules besides that greatest commandment would these be?

 

[fakename]

I wasn’t proposing any meta-rules just saying that there are meta-rules. I believe the commandments are the only possible candidates for meta-rules since they are the only true rules.

 

[Joel_PF]

Perhaps there could be some procedural meta-rules that are not included in the 10 commandments.

For instance: the long-run good, despite being harder to achieve, is usually preferable to the short-run good. We are predisposed to value comfort excessively and this distorts our initial evaluation of values to be pursued, creating apparent dilemmas (“study or watch TV this afternoon?”); but then a meta-rule such as that one leads to a conclusion ("study! I’m probably overvaluing the good that watching TV will bring me because of my distorted predisposition towards what’s easy and comfortable).

 

[francisca]

I imagine that a saint would never or very rarely be confused. He/she is so matured in grace and virtue that they always know what to do, and do it.

I think saints are human beings too. I’m sure they have been confused once or twice in their lives just like everybody else.

Nobody knows how to execute ten commandments, unless “guided” from above. In the end without God (the holy spirit), one usually just wandering around this life knowing nothing about himself, the things he desire and/ or the things he does, neither where he is standing on and/ or going. Surely the saints are guided in some area, but I’m sure there are some area where they have hard time trusting God. So in those areas, once in a while they are/were confused too. So all in all, consistent in values? Nobody really able to do that, not perfectly.

About our effort, we must “try” to be consistent to what we believe… I do agree. We must try to… yeah.