I'm teaching from 2-3:30, but will join you here as soon as possible after that. If any of you are here waiting, think about what decisions you've had to make lately about the right or wrong thing to do, and how you've arrived at a rationale or justification for your action. And what's the difference between a rationale and a justification anyways?
To see this working, head to your live site.
Search
Okay, I'm here now. Anyone else around?
I'm here briefly, and you? What Have I done to violate the COVID-19 restrictions? I go to the grocery store more than once a week. Why? I buy as I need, and don't have space in my frig for too much extra.
This question actually came to my mind yesterday when I was thinking about how we weigh where to make exceptions to the directives. For example, is going for walks okay? Only in the evening? Only if you need to walk a dog? On the streets, but not on sidewalks or trails where you need to pass too close to others?
It seems to me that going for groceries more than once a week might be rightly deemed "essential" in a case like yours, Lloyd.
The difference between rationalizations and justifications according to my Oxford dictionary is very little other than justification seems to have the idea of a reason being somehow "good". But both ideas deal with a set of reasons for doing something.
Since I have no dog to walk, the extent of cat activities seems to be ibn moving her from the chair in front of my computer to my bed. Not much exercise, but she is getting heavier.
I asked that because last night I was talking about whether there could be any justification for a trip to the LCBO, unless a person is addicted and will suffer withdrawal. This led us to the idea that you could rationalize going, but probably couldn't justify it. So, basically, what you said. Any old reasons vs. good reasons.
It's possible interpret my poor typing to explain "ibn"; I meant to say "be in" but the to epaine, the "b" is actually in the "in". That's clearly a rationalization for poor typing with little or no proofreading.
I was very entertained earlier, Lloyd by your email comments about your cat. I share them here in case anyone else shows up to enjoy them:
"Scamper is a delightful friend... She is adept at saying feed me, pet me, clean my box, I wanna be in the same room with you. I don't want to be in your space. give me temptations. I want to go out on the balcony.
While interesting they are limited in scope."
And "expaine" is missing an "x" following the first "e" and the second "e" should not be there at all.
'
No judgement on typing errors here!
Scamper is here, right where I put her when I moved her. She is facing away from me, but clearly is content with being right where I put her, paying no attention to me whatsoever. Oops I spoke to o soon. She has lifted her head and is saying something with her tail swishing once. .
Have you ever read the Jeffrey Archer story "Just Good Friends"? I think you'd really enjoy it!
It's from his collection, A Twist in the Tale
Anyways, back to the ethics question. I'm wondering how much wiggle room there is in our sense of what is ethical when extenuating circumstances are taken into account. And "ethical" seems like too heavy a word here.
I do have a work of necessity coming on Thursday afternoon; I have an appointment to get my snow tires removed, and my car examined for anything needed since my extended warranty expires on June 15th. I hope they can't find anything wrong with the beast, but I'm not driving much at all. Today would have been the beginning day of my now-cancelled maritime convention which was to have been held in Ottawa. Maritime missions are having difficulties as ships are still coming into ports, but chaplains can't board the ships. The extent of their work seems to be what I would describe as gangway ministry. Conversations and deliveries of whatever on the gangway with neither the chaplain nor the seafarer coming in contact with each other. Of course, ships may need provisions put on board, bu that's not the chaplain's role.
But here's an example. There's always so much need in the world, and yet (I speak for myself here) so much money spent frivolously. If something is wrong to spend money on in the midst of this pandemic, is it not always wrong to spend money on it? I mean, just because we're now seeing more needs in our own immediate communities does not mean that those needs are any more urgent, does it?
I was thinking that you are the philosopher today, but given Tim's occupation, I guess that is an occupational hazard. I suspect, what we count as ethical has a lot to do with our personal reasons for doing whatever it is we want to do, and that it is done with little thought of consequences. I want to go out, so I do, and I can come u with a "good" sounding reason for doing it.
You're right - there's no way to escape philosophy in this house!
It must be sort of hard to feel properly "occupied" today, when you know that you would otherwise be at the convention.
We may be able to see the needs better because we can focus on them and on meeting them, if that is possible. For example, I made an on line purchase today using my accumulated Dream Miles from my Airmiles card. I need a newer toaster; the slots in my old 4-slice toaster are too narrow for bread slices, so I have to force te slices down. So in 4 weeks or thereabout I will have New 2 slice toaster. The 4 slice one has existed for probably 30 or more years so it's well beyond its presumed useful life. But I had enough extra mile that I could use a a donation to contribute to Food Banks. That way I've done something for both myslef and for other who need food. The ends seem to justify the means.
Wel I saved quite bit of money! The registration fee which was payable in US$ was repaid into my US credit card. I did not have to travel to Ottawa; I was going to by train, and I was going to share my room with its cost of $164CDN per night, with a chaplain coming from Burns Harbor, Indiana. So money not spent is money which stays here and is not being spent. But I miss not being there because the meetings move from place to place and while I am not in active ministry I did work with them for a total of about 12 years.