Slavery exists, will always exist. There are many kinds of slavery. Some is voluntary, some not. My wife and I are slaves to It. It being whatever it is we are enslaved to. We are willing slaves, because some things require slavery, and are bigger than we are, and more important. This slavery can also be called worship, or reverence, or service, and may be seen from infinite viewpoints, good ones, bad ones, and everything in-between. We even enslave ourselves to the humble. The lowly. Because they are us, and we them. Slavery exists. Will always exist. It may be called Life.
28 June 2012 at 18:18
dearieme said...
Hold on. Obviously sincere multiculturalists (should such exist) must be happy with slavery in the house next door. But I'm not. I don't see what your point is.
28 June 2012 at 19:30
josh said...
I'm not sure slavery was such a bad thing. There is plenty of testimony to the general moral and spiritual uplift among the enslaved.
28 June 2012 at 19:49
Mr Tall said...
This is a very good argument. The issue of slavery can also be used in another way: some modern liberals will admit that they hold slavery to be always wrong, every where, every time. That is a moral absolute, and can be immediately identified as such. And once one such absolute is acknowledged, the possibility of others is suddenly wide open to appeals to natural law/traditional morality, as you suggest.
29 June 2012 at 02:18
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You say you reject the wisdom of the tradition, the moral consensus of many centuries of our best ancestors, because they believed in slavery - whereas we know that slavery is absolutely wrong.
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I see: are you against slavery then?
Okay, but just let me check: is slavery acceptable under any possible circumstances? Are there particular situations when slavery is OK?
Maybe there are some people who ought to be allowed to have slaves?
No, no and no, you answer... I see.
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So, how do you feel about the fact that slavery never was abolished in several parts of the African continent, is still there, is growing - was that okay, should it be tolerated?
And how do you feel about the re-introduction of slavery into Europe and the UK over the past decade or two - is that okay, should it be tolerated?
What? You didn't realize slavery had been re-introduced?
Don't you read the newspapers? Or maybe you prefer to ignore the reports because slavery was brought to Britain by migrants from slave-owning societies and sub-cultures.
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So, just how important to you is this issue of slavery?
Are you against slavery even if it is within oppressed minority groups - or do you think that excuses them: maybe we ought to tolerate slavery in Europe and the UK, so long as it isn't done by the native population - is that what you think?
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Well, now you know about slavery in the UK and Europe - what should be done?
Is this important, is it urgent, is it a major priority?
Should we eliminate slavery (because it can be done, it hasbeen done in the past) when it exists - say- a few streets away from where we live...
if so, then how quickly: over the next few days, weeks, months or years?
Decades?
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Ahh... I see... You don't like this line of reasoning.
I begin to understand.
You reject tradition because people in the olden-days had slaves and so were by definition less moral than modern people, than you and I - but you don't really object to slavery as such.
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You don't much like slavery, but you don't really want to do what would be necessary to eliminate it.
In fact you are quite happy to tolerate slavery.
Slavery isn't really that important to you, is it?
"Are you against slavery?"
4 Comments -
Slavery exists, will always exist.
There are many kinds of slavery.
Some is voluntary, some not.
My wife and I are slaves to It.
It being whatever it is we are enslaved to.
We are willing slaves, because some things require slavery, and are bigger than we are, and more important.
This slavery can also be called worship, or reverence, or service, and may be seen from infinite viewpoints, good ones, bad ones, and everything in-between.
We even enslave ourselves to the humble. The lowly.
Because they are us, and we them.
Slavery exists. Will always exist.
It may be called Life.
28 June 2012 at 18:18
Hold on. Obviously sincere multiculturalists (should such exist) must be happy with slavery in the house next door. But I'm not. I don't see what your point is.
28 June 2012 at 19:30
I'm not sure slavery was such a bad thing. There is plenty of testimony to the general moral and spiritual uplift among the enslaved.
28 June 2012 at 19:49
This is a very good argument. The issue of slavery can also be used in another way: some modern liberals will admit that they hold slavery to be always wrong, every where, every time. That is a moral absolute, and can be immediately identified as such. And once one such absolute is acknowledged, the possibility of others is suddenly wide open to appeals to natural law/traditional morality, as you suggest.
29 June 2012 at 02:18