Where exactly do our ideas come from?
I didn't come up with this week's thought experiment, so don't blame me if you don't like it.
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"Mary, Mungo, and Midge. You stand accused of a grievous crime. What do you have to say for yourselves?
"Yes, I did it," said Mary. "But it wasn't my fault. I consulted an expert and she told me that was what I ought to do. So don't blame me, blame her."
"I too did it," said Mungo. "But it wasn't my fault. I consulted my therapist and she told me that was what I ought to do. So don't blame me, blame her."
"I won't deny I did it," said Midge. "But it wasn't my fault. I consulted an astrologer and she told me that since Neptune was in Aries, that's what I should have done. So don't blame me, blame him."
The judge sighed and issued his verdict. "Since this case is without precedent, I have had to discuss it with my senior colleagues. And I'm afraid to say that your arguments did not persuade them. I sentence you all to the maximum term. But, please remember that I consulted my peers and they told me to deliver this sentence. So don't blame me, blame them."
Source: Existentialism and Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre, 1948.
Baggini, J., The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, 2005, p. 100.
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What do you think? Just how much blame or responsibility can we take for our own actions and influences? I'll be back on Friday to give my own answer. At least, that is, as long as I'm able to.
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"Mary, Mungo, and Midge. You stand accused of a grievous crime. What do you have to say for yourselves?
"Yes, I did it," said Mary. "But it wasn't my fault. I consulted an expert and she told me that was what I ought to do. So don't blame me, blame her."
"I too did it," said Mungo. "But it wasn't my fault. I consulted my therapist and she told me that was what I ought to do. So don't blame me, blame her."
"I won't deny I did it," said Midge. "But it wasn't my fault. I consulted an astrologer and she told me that since Neptune was in Aries, that's what I should have done. So don't blame me, blame him."
The judge sighed and issued his verdict. "Since this case is without precedent, I have had to discuss it with my senior colleagues. And I'm afraid to say that your arguments did not persuade them. I sentence you all to the maximum term. But, please remember that I consulted my peers and they told me to deliver this sentence. So don't blame me, blame them."
Source: Existentialism and Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre, 1948.
Baggini, J., The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten, 2005, p. 100.
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What do you think? Just how much blame or responsibility can we take for our own actions and influences? I'll be back on Friday to give my own answer. At least, that is, as long as I'm able to.
