Do you care about historical "wrongs"?

Discuss the merits and deficiencies of political theories and philosophical questions.

Announcements Posted on
Sign in to Reply
  1. camflex's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 3
    • Warning points: 1000
    Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    Why does it matter if Africans were enslaved, or Jews killed?

    Aren't humans cruel?
  2. JacobW's Avatar
    • Exalted and Worshipped Member
    • Location: Oxford
    • Posts: 1,139
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    "Cruel" implies a negative value judgment towards the action described as such, so if indeed these things were cruel they matter morally by definition. Most of the arguments for moral relativism on here are weak, but contradicting themselves within two sentences is unusually poor.
  3. Rhadamanthus's Avatar
    • TSR Idol
    • Location: Dorset
    • Posts: 8,879
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by JacobW)
    "Cruel" implies a negative value judgment towards the action described as such, so if indeed these things were cruel they matter morally by definition. Most of the arguments for moral relativism on here are weak, but contradicting themselves within two sentences is unusually poor.
    PRSOM. I can't believe people are still pushing this stuff around.
  4. King Kebab's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Location: Dundee
    • Posts: 455
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by camflex)
    Why does it matter if Africans were enslaved, or Jews killed?

    Aren't humans cruel?
    I think they matter a lot because people can learn from them so they can be avoided in the future.
  5. unclej's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 196
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    what about our wrongs happening today?
    we as a species still have alot to learn and have failed to learn from shamefull events, especialy the holocaust.
  6. Steevee's Avatar
    • TSR Legend
    • Location: Gloucestershire
    • Posts: 10,301
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    It depends how you mean.

    I care that they happened, because of the impact they've had on the world. But if you mean do I emotionally care, not really. People that knew Atlantic slavery are long since dead, and people who attempt to make other people feel guilty about such things are repugnant.
  7. Peace&Love's Avatar
    • Junior Member
    • Posts: 46
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by King Kebab)
    I think they matter a lot because people can learn from them so they can be avoided in the future.
    I totally agree. We have to care about the past to make the future brighter! we should learn from the past mistakes so we never end up in the same situation again. We should also care that the past events are what have shaped our society today.
  8. EnigmaticSpirit's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 245
    • Warning points: 1000
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    Should one not learn from their own mistakes? Surely it makes for a finer, more lucid lesson?
  9. ilikeindra's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 9
    • Warning points: 1000
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by Peace&Love)
    I totally agree. We have to care about the past to make the future brighter! we should learn from the past mistakes so we never end up in the same situation again. We should also care that the past events are what have shaped our society today.
    You're an idiot. Don't you say morality is subjective?
  10. Kiss's Avatar
    • Vengeful, Imperial Overlord of The Student Room
    • Location: Edinburgh!
    • Posts: 4,835
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    I do care but I think progress only occurs when people move on from them - its good to remember history for the tragedies it has espoused, but constantly coming back to them for purposes of an argument is sad and repetitive.
  11. Emaemmaemily's Avatar
    • Section Moderator
    • TSR Demigod
    • Location: Milton Keynes
    • Posts: 5,895
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    I care that they happened, but I don't think I should care to the point that I feel guilty (considering I wasn't even alive).
    I think it's important to learn from the past, so we don't make the same mistakes, but we can't make proper progress as a society until we move on from it all. We need to understand what happened, why/how it happened, what was bad about it... But we need to NOT be emotionally linked to it, and not to blame people who weren't alive at the time for what happened.
  12. 123maz's Avatar
    • Exalted Member
    • Location: east midlands
    • Posts: 339
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    no, because i am too busy caring about Syria...
  13. Snagprophet's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Location: Bournemouth, England
    • Posts: 6,133
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by camflex)
    Why does it matter if Africans were enslaved, or Jews killed?
    Because those two instances are such overhyped tips of an iceberg it's unreal.
  14. namithailoveyou's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 85
    • Warning points: 1000
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by Emaemmaemily)
    I care that they happened, but I don't think I should care to the point that I feel guilty (considering I wasn't even alive).
    I think it's important to learn from the past, so we don't make the same mistakes, but we can't make proper progress as a society until we move on from it all. We need to understand what happened, why/how it happened, what was bad about it... But we need to NOT be emotionally linked to it, and not to blame people who weren't alive at the time for what happened.
    morals are anything one makes them. so why cite "progress"?

    I don't think you understand how to interpret moral subjectivism.
  15. namithailoveyou's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 85
    • Warning points: 1000
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    What's more, I don't give a **** about historical wrongs.
  16. Dmon1Unlimited's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Posts: 6,672
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    I can't tell whether this is a troll thread.

    Yes we should care
  17. namithailoveyou's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 85
    • Warning points: 1000
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by Dmon1Unlimited)
    I can't tell whether this is a troll thread.

    Yes we should care
    Yet morals are subjective.

    Are you so insecure that you must dictate how everybody must think or behave?
  18. ash1011's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Location: South Wales
    • Posts: 184
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by Dmon1Unlimited)
    I can't tell whether this is a troll thread.

    Yes we should care
    Yes it is, there are 3/4 similar ones started recently by him. He's playing the philosophical card in all his answers, meaning we can never win!!! Though neither can he
  19. namithailoveyou's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 85
    • Warning points: 1000
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    - Morality is subjective
    - Morality is thus subject to personal or societal opinion
    - No moral position is superior to another

    Why is that difficult to comprehend?
  20. Dmon1Unlimited's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Posts: 6,672
    Re: Do you care about historical "wrongs"?
    (Original post by namithailoveyou)
    Yet morals are subjective.

    Are you so insecure that you must dictate how everybody must think or behave?
    People not giving a **** about child rape in the past and therefore thinking it is alright doesn't mean it is alright...

    And morality and objective aspects to it. Is morality is truly and utterly subjective then that means the law is just some random prats views. if a guy murders your mum for no reason, what do you think will be on most peoples minds when told
    -is it right
    Or
    -is it wrong

    Don't give me that bullcrap, you know nothing of me...
Sign in to Reply
Share this discussion:  
Useful resources
Article updates
Moderators

We have a brilliant team of more than 60 volunteers looking after discussions on The Student Room, helping to make it a fun, safe and useful place to hang out.

Reputation gems:
The Reputation gems seen here indicate how well reputed the user is, red gem indicate negative reputation and green indicates a good rep.
Post rating score:
These scores show if a post has been positively or negatively rated by our members.