You Can't Do That!
August 9, 2010 8:14 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for a vaguely-remembered quote to the effect of "I only believe in restrictions that are forbidden to all." The meaning was that man-made injunctions don't carry as much weight as universal ones. Sorry, I can't even recall the author! Maybe Spinoza?
Yes, it's the categorical imperative that you're describing, although I've never heard it phrased that way.
The injunctions (though with Kant it can be proscriptive OR prescriptive) could still be considered man-made, however, as they are a product of logical thinking. They're "universal" in the sense that they apply to all people but not "of the universe" i.e. from a deity or somesuch.
posted by Pomo at 5:36 PM on August 9, 2010
The injunctions (though with Kant it can be proscriptive OR prescriptive) could still be considered man-made, however, as they are a product of logical thinking. They're "universal" in the sense that they apply to all people but not "of the universe" i.e. from a deity or somesuch.
posted by Pomo at 5:36 PM on August 9, 2010
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posted by A Long and Troublesome Lameness at 10:42 AM on August 9, 2010