Monday, June 07, 2004
Blah. Study day today. Well, not quite. I got up to study. Went to a review session that lasted much longer than I expected, then came back and ate and started working on my study sheet. Little did I know, I would get into another discussion with someone over AIM while studying. These discussions tend to last a long time, and always seem to happen as I'm studying. This is probably a bad thing. But oh well, these were some very good conversations with Chad and Sara. Kudos to you both.
The subject at hand was the importance of mental faculties. Among other things, was the impairment of mind by a sugar high, or sleep deprivation. Quite appropriate as I have been staying up late to study, and the sleep deprivation was preventing me from thinking. Given the morality of following your rational faculties, is than sleep deprivation wrong? This seems quite absurd. So, either, the studying (or other sleep-depriving activity) is increasing mental acuity, or mere impairment of mental faculties is not in itself immoral. Since the former seems unlikely to occur in every circumstance, the more impariment of mental faculties is in itself not immoral - lets call it amoral. Sara brought up that the reason is important because it provides the means to life. Okay. That would imply that reason is impoartant for life, and not for itself. In that case impairment of reason is acceptable as long as no anti-life (poor) judgements are made. But that seems to say that reason is imporant only because of the results of it. If that is true, what of the man who is fully successful (good life), but makes decisions on a whim, with no regard for reason? Then he would have to be just as moral as the rational man who leads a good life. Sara refused to answer this hypothetical, citing it as impossible. But I think it is still an important question. Anyway... more on this tomorrow, I have a final to sleep for. Goodnight all.
"He knew that man must live by his own rational perception of reality, that he cannot act against it or escape it or find a substitute for it -- and that there is no other way for him to live." - Atlas Shrugged (557)
The subject at hand was the importance of mental faculties. Among other things, was the impairment of mind by a sugar high, or sleep deprivation. Quite appropriate as I have been staying up late to study, and the sleep deprivation was preventing me from thinking. Given the morality of following your rational faculties, is than sleep deprivation wrong? This seems quite absurd. So, either, the studying (or other sleep-depriving activity) is increasing mental acuity, or mere impairment of mental faculties is not in itself immoral. Since the former seems unlikely to occur in every circumstance, the more impariment of mental faculties is in itself not immoral - lets call it amoral. Sara brought up that the reason is important because it provides the means to life. Okay. That would imply that reason is impoartant for life, and not for itself. In that case impairment of reason is acceptable as long as no anti-life (poor) judgements are made. But that seems to say that reason is imporant only because of the results of it. If that is true, what of the man who is fully successful (good life), but makes decisions on a whim, with no regard for reason? Then he would have to be just as moral as the rational man who leads a good life. Sara refused to answer this hypothetical, citing it as impossible. But I think it is still an important question. Anyway... more on this tomorrow, I have a final to sleep for. Goodnight all.
"He knew that man must live by his own rational perception of reality, that he cannot act against it or escape it or find a substitute for it -- and that there is no other way for him to live." - Atlas Shrugged (557)
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