Right from Wrong

I'm told - I'm too judgmental. Which is fine, everyone should say what they think without fear of reproach. Not that they won't be reproached, ridiculed, or scorned - just that they shouldn't be afraid of it. The corollary is - everyone should think before they say. Which would make for less reproach, thus less fear of it. 

Judging is (duh) the ability to tell right from wrong. So if folks don't like that, or aren't able to do it - that's on them, not me. I greatly value discerning right from wrong. I call it reality. And those who don't participate, I call - stupid. The Bible says "judge not, less ye be judged." Which has to mean something, right? I mean, it's Biblical, thus has the force of "authority." God didn't write much, but when he did, people listen. God and EF Hutton. 

Now I get - fear of being judged - we join groups in order to survice (a wise man once said). And no one want to be left out cuz that's the ultimate death of the soul. But it isn't the "be all end all" of judging right from wrong. We can say "okay, you're acceptable as a member of the group" but there're caveats - you gotta adhere to the group norms or you get kicked out. So be careful what groups you want to define yourself by. Maybe that group's no good, as Nietzsche might say. Or maybe you oughtta take a leadership role and steer that group in the right direction. 

But to do that, or damn near anything - you gotta know right from wrong. Doesn't mean you have to read and study all laws since Hammurabi; or all philosophy since Socrates. But that'd be a start, cuz those guys had ideas too. And no use spending your life trying to figure out something you'd already know if you'd just read Hegel. That'd be kind of a waste of time. And folks'd say "yeah, he don't read much." 

But be not afraid - I aint never read much of Hegel either, and what little I did, don't much recall. Doesn't mean I'm dumb, just eager for scholars to fill me in on stuff. And mighty damn skeptical of those scholars too - cuz how I know they aint shuckin and jivin me? Ah...there's the rub, as Billy Shakespeare say. The only way I can know - is by developing an abiltity to tell right from wrong, duh. 

But how to? you ask. Ah yes, folks been wraslin' with that since Adam said "you sho that snake din' poke yahs in the private?" An' Eve just smile an' shake her head.

So - Thomas Hobbes said (around 1650 or thereabouts) "that which doesn't contradict itself,  is at least not wrong." He couldn't say for sure it was right, but he could say for sure - that which isn't self-contradicting is a least not in the group - things we know are false. So that was a start. Kinda like Heisenberg finding atomic particles by where they aren't. (and to think, I coulda been listnin' to Stevie Smith on ESPN)