Home

Overheard in Port Moody

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 21:49 — rcousine

INT. TLO and Me are CLEANING UP. The TV is off.

TLO: "The remote is asking me a question I don't understand."

Me: "What's the question?"

TLO: "It says, 'did that fix the problem?'"

Me: "Just say yes."

TLO: "I see you're of the Mill-ian school."

Comments

Wed, 07/23/2008 - 00:34 — Raul (not verified)

That's what I would have said

I don't find the point wrong. I mean, I would have said yes to "did that fix the problem". Am I Mill-ian too? ;)

Thu, 07/24/2008 - 14:34 — rcousine

At the risk of explaining the joke

From our perspective, there was no problem to fix, so the true answer would have been "no." However, the remote didn't need the truth to be happy, just a soothing lie.

The essence of the Kant versus Mill debate is whether truth or happiness is the highest moral value, though Utilitarian happiness is hardly a simple thing. In the ridiculous example above, truth was sacrificed to happiness.

My happiness, and the remote's happiness. I may be anthropomorphizing it a bit too much.

Sun, 07/27/2008 - 13:06 — Raul (not verified)

Oohhh! I *get* it now :)

And at the risk of admitting that my brain is now mushy after posting 49 things in 24 hours, I think that I understand it now :)

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.