Poll of the day: virtue and merit.

[featherynscale]

Standard poll disclaimer: not all possible descriptions of human experience are represented by the answers given below. This is not hard science. It is not even social science. It is still a better-designed poll than half of the crap that Harris or Zogby put out.** Choose the best answer. If all answers suck equally, don't answer. Nobody's forcing you, darling.

[Poll #945207]

** Seriously, I took a Zogby poll the other day which asked the question "Can a woman be sexy if she is a size 14 or larger?", and the only two response options given were "Yes, sexy is about attitude, not appearance", and "No, appearance must come first". No option at all for people who thought that women who are size 14 or larger could actually have an appearance that was attractive. It was like answering "Have you stopped beating your wife?".

Comments

[kellan-m-solan.livejournal.com]

I too have a certain sense of the value of things as a function of being. Though mine tends to stem from an existentialist place and therefore applies equally to inanimate things (objects, nausea and all that Sartean goodness)

I'm curious what, in your estimation, makes human beings special. What entitles human beings to an inherent level of value that is, presumably, somewhat more than a cantaloupe or a dog. I ask, because I want to better define my position (for myself) and I don't often get thoughtful arguments. Most people just whip out 'God' and have done. You very certainly aren't most people.. Care to indulge me?

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

Eh, her poll was about people, so I talked about people. I'm not sure I do believe humans are inherently speshuler or of more value than anything else. Cantaloupes and dogs are valued as salad and pets or whatever, and humans are valued as humans. Theoretically speaking. If there were a fire, I'd grab my daughter before my cat.

I'm not sure what makes sense at a logical level still makes sense on the emotional level.

[kellan-m-solan.livejournal.com]

Laughs* damn. Ah well, for me I suppose the daughter would have value because of her personal qualities and also her relationship to you. Her being human is inconsequential except for how it affects the relationship. So you and I are probably pretty close to in agreement here, which sucks cause I don't learn much from that, but hey!

[wildnsquirrelly.livejournal.com]

I'll pass on the Dog Salad, but perhaps with my busy work schedule a pet cantaloupe is just what I need. I'd certainly value it more than some of the asshats I've had to deal with lately.