tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post4248633162221689329..comments2024-03-18T20:24:18.935-05:00Comments on Alexander Pruss's Blog: Eternal significanceAlexander R Prusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-36622110383688801272011-05-07T00:09:27.488-05:002011-05-07T00:09:27.488-05:00There is a contrary intuition that it is more sign...There is a contrary intuition that it is <b>more</b> significant morally to provide aid to a widow, orphan, or outcast who will never be able to do anything for you; or that it is more significant to give up your life for a brother than to survive. I'm pretty sure that these intuitions could be empirically verified to exist universally even outside of Christendom.JSAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00681934865643964687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-74698460000294217412011-05-06T15:44:15.460-05:002011-05-06T15:44:15.460-05:00Prof. Almeida,
I think you would be right about t...Prof. Almeida,<br /><br />I think you would be right about the God scenario if we were talking about an impersonal God. However, there is certainly a difference with our actions if God is personal and actually was "concerned" about our actions. If God is personal, I think, would make our actions quite significant.Jarrett Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17191046219215006345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-85665928847724995262011-05-06T12:04:58.783-05:002011-05-06T12:04:58.783-05:00Isn't the point about significance comparative...Isn't the point about significance comparative in both the God case and the non-God case? In the non-God case the effects of our actions are comparatively small. They have some finite effect, and thereafter are infinitely ineffective. If that comparison does not matter, then nothing prevents us from taking finitely effective acts as very significant (though of course not infinitely significant). Also, nothing requires us to observe any conceptual link between infinitely effective acts and very significant acts.Mike Almeidahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12001511002085064198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-6785011005599182082011-05-06T11:06:16.253-05:002011-05-06T11:06:16.253-05:00Well, "nothing lasting" shouldn't be...Well, "nothing lasting" shouldn't be taken too literally here. I think it's an interesting task to try to analyze what people mean by that. The propositions point is a good one. There may also be lasting insignificant effects of our actions on a naturalistic view. Faint radio signals from earth may reach distant galaxies in millions of years. Etc. <br /><br />The God point is really interesting, but I don't think we should consider significance to be essentially comparative. Thus, we shouldn't think "God's actions are significant, ours are not." We should think "Our actions are significant, and God's actions are infinitely significant." Though there may be times when the comparative judgment is morally and spiritually helpful--it helps us take things "philosophically", as people say.Alexander R Prusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989277655934827117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3891434218564545511.post-2786086017590944642011-05-06T10:33:45.358-05:002011-05-06T10:33:45.358-05:001.If nothing lasting can come from human activity ...<i>1.If nothing lasting can come from human activity (think of Russell's description of everything returning "again to the nebula"), then no human life has much meaning.</i><br /><br />Of course, <i>something</i> lasting is bound to come from human activity, no matter that nearly everything else goes out of existence. There will exist, no matter what, true propositions describing the good and bad that was done. And we will have decided what those true propositions are. Nonetheless there is a paradox lurking. If we instead suppose that God exists, every good thing we do shrinks to moral insignificance. So whether God exists or not, it's unlikey that the good we do will be esp. significant.Mike Almeidahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12001511002085064198noreply@blogger.com