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%DEFENDING ALIENATIVE PRACTICES EVIL 800101
It is clearly evil to thoughtlessly defend alienative
practices without concern for the alienation which they
occasion. The lack of concern may originate in a lack of
awareness of the alienation which is occasioned by the
practices. Or, the lack of concern may originate in an
ultimate concern for the utilitarian reasons for the
practices---perhaps the practices are very advantageous to
an elite and powerful group that does no value human
dialogue. In any case, there is no humane set of values
which will approve of alienative practices without
explicit concern being expressed about the alienation
which they occasion. Humane leaders seek to minimize
alienation, even if it means compromising other
advantageous values.
Among the utilitarian reasons for alienative prac-
tices are many conventional values; i.e., values which by
convention set up prescriptions regarding what are proper
responses in specified situations---leaving human desires
and feelings disregarded in many instances. Alienation is
a natural consequence of totally ignoring genuine human
needs, desires and feelings. To fail to acknowledge human
needs, desires and feelings is to do violence to
personhood. Even when desires can not be satisfied and
decisions must run counter to feelings; even then it is
important to acknowledge the legitimacy and propriety of
such needs, desires and feelings. Utilitarian reasons are
not grounds for pretending that desires which can not be
satisfied are not legitimate or proper---only emotionally
immature people need to resort to such pretense.
Utilitarianism is not served by being dishonest and
pretending that feelings are not real, that they are not
legitimate or proper, or in some other way seeking to
repress them. Such behavior is more emotionally immature
than it is practical. In the long run it is exceedingly
impractical.
Usually it is emotionally immature people who defend
alienative practices---because they are not mature enough
to perceive the non-alienative alternatives to the
alienative practices. They fall into the trap of
regarding the alienative practices as the only possible
way of fulfilling certain positive values---which they
regard as ultimate values which must be respected, no
matter what the costs may be.
(c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in
www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty
(On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)
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