So...

The Vegetarian thing is not going to work out right now. I am going to give it a go when I am in better shape and can better afford it. I still feel passionate about it, but I just can't do it right now.

Ethics! What a pain!

So I am coming to the conclusion that in my study of ethics one thing is becoming clear. For an ethical theory to be sound it has to be based on an absolute good. Almost always a metaphysical good. Any ethical theory based purely on human characteristics such as Hume's individual concepts of reason and sentiment or anything based on Utilitarianism becomes bogged down by relativity. This is because there is no absolute. The largest problem with this is that it means you have to be accepting of an absolute that is sometimes unprovable. I do want to say that I think it is possible for utilitarianism to work, but it has to be limited in scope, which is almost impossible in a world like ours where it is so easy for social groups to become interconnected and effect each other. So that leaves the opposite, expanding it to include in scope everything, so it would have to apply on a global scale, which leads to two issues in my mind. First the social implications are massive in scope simply because human beings congregate into groups and the only way for this to work is to view the human race as a whole with no separation, and that is impossible given human nature. The second is the difficulty in determining with the certainty the sum of a utilitarian equation for an action when considering a global scale. Both of these issues make such a concept completely unrealistic.

The closest anyone comes to avoiding this issue, that I have read, is Immanuel Kant. However I have run into two primary issues with his ethical theory I cannot answer. First is a logical issue, Kant states the following:

The only thing that is good without qualification is a good will.

That statement does not logically work. This is because it contradicts itself. The thing that is good with out qualification has a qualification. Good is a qualification of will in that statement, so it does not make sense. The second issue I am having with his theory has to do with what ethics is supposed to be. The study of ethics is at it's core the study of how to live a good life. So accepting this we examine Kant's theory and in it he puts forth the goal of a good life is to follow duties. There are certain duties that are the most important. However the duty to pursue happiness is not one of them. So this allows for a scenario in which if one follows their duties correctly one is not happy. I cannot define a good life if it lacks in happiness, or denies the importance of pursuing happiness. It seems that Kant's ethical theory relies on a sense that this life is not the end, but rather a means. It reminds me too much of Christian ideals regarding life being an imposition one has to get through to reach Heaven. So yeah... good times.

Music time!

Whats happening.

So I am making some pretty big changes in my life starting right now. First of all I am a vegetarian from now on. At least I am going to try to be one. I have always loved meat and loved cooking with it, but realistically it's unethical to eat meat and I wanna stop. Beyond that it's a tool for change and proving that I can change. I need to prove to myself that I can consistently maintain a major change in my life.

Second thing that I intend on doing is going to meditation services on a regular basis. First of all I need to find a good Buddhist temple or center to go to. I figured I would be able to google it and have no problem. I am afraid that was incorrect. The only one that looked like it would work for my purposes is in downtown Phoenix, and that just is not realistic. So I'll figure it out.

Last thing, work out starts tonight. Going to keep it simple, sit ups/crunches, push ups, curls, squats, standing press, and maybe a couple other exercises I can think of during the process. I will also be heading to the track across the street to walk/jog for a while.

All in all it is time to make the changes in my life I want to make. Also on a philosophical note, I hate you Hume, you ruin everything!

Finally my music video for the day:

First Entry!

So I have decided to start a blog. Why? I think I need a place where I can just say what I want and talk about my life and the things I am interested in without worrying about who reads it and what is said about it. It should be fun!

On to more serious topics. I am trying to come up with an answer to some of the issues that are posed by the concept of ethical relativism. I had an idea the other night concerning the nature of any individual action or perspective. I think that because any perspective or opinion is absolutely unique in space and time then it has it's own set of unique settings. If this is the case then there is no such thing as the same issue. It is not possible for any one ethical situation to ever be the same when applied or explained to separate individuals or cultures. If that is the case then the issue of one culture saying an issue is right and another saying it is wrong and relativism saying both cultures are correct does not cause as big of an issue. This is because each culture or individual is judging a completely different situation because there perspective makes it unique to them. Hmmmm I need to work through this some more I am thinking.

So other then my philosophical ramblings I intend on talking about music and the things I am doing. So first of all, here is my favorite song of the moment:



Fang Island is awesome and I am very happy my friend Andrea exposed me to them. Other then listening to great music I am going to start going back to the gym this week. No more excuses! That I am going to buy a guitar and start learning how to play. I need something to do in my free time that is actually constructive and makes me feel like I am accomplishing something.

Well, that's it for now.