Which of the christian seven deadly sins do you think would be likeliest to make you stray from your own morals?

[Vagueabsolute]

Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth, which of these do you personally regard as likeliest to make you act outside of your own frame of morals and values?

Why do you think it is that you have come to whatever conclusion you’ve reached? Have any of these emotions and tendencies stood in the way of your morals before?

[Pattern-chaser]

I suppose you're asking which of the seven I find the most tempting. I think that might be sloth ... or pride ... or anger ... perhaps the list if seven is a list of the things that humans find they are most likely to be tempted by?

What is the philosophical reason(ing) behind this topic?

[JackDaydream]

I suppose you're asking which of the seven I find the most tempting. I think that might be sloth ... or pride ... or anger ... perhaps the list if seven is a list of the things that humans find they are most likely to be tempted by?

What is the philosophical reason(ing) behind this topic?

I am a bit curious about the reasoning behind this thread. It feels like a confession box for admitting 'sins'. My own experience of growing up in Catholicism and Christianity, with the emphasis on 'sin' lead me to emotional difficulties of guilt. Of course, human beings have weaknesses and failings, especially in relation to living up to ethical beings. However, the concept of 'sin', especially the idea of original sin may be more unhelpful than helpful because it is about casting moral blame rather than acknowledging sentience and difficulties of putting ideals into practice. The various 'deadly sins' may also overlap, as being about the psychological aspects of being human.

[Alan Masterman]

I think you're all being a bit hard on the original poster. The question is straightforward enough. Why are you all being so defensive?

For myself, I would say, lust and gluttony. As a bisexual, I'm turned on by more than the usual number of the merely opposite sex. And food. Especially in China. If you simply order "beer", even in a restaurant, they bring you an Imperial Pint. A truly civilised people.

[JackDaydream]

I think you're all being a bit hard on the original poster. The question is straightforward enough. Why are you all being so defensive?

For myself, I would say, lust and gluttony. As a bisexual, I'm turned on by more than the usual number of the merely opposite sex. And food. Especially in China. If you simply order "beer", even in a restaurant, they bring you an Imperial Pint. A truly civilised people.

You may be right that the posts so far have been a bit harsh on the original poster. I am bisexual too and think that lust and the 'pleasures of the flesh' can he strong. Pleasure in itself a possible vice although it may be variable as to how much it is the biggest one in being problematic for highest moral ideals, depending on how ethics is seen. In this current time, the environment may be the key concern in terms of consequences. This may mean that greed is a bigger issue.

Life is full of all kinds of 'temptations', with potential outcomes. Of course, lust and gluttony can lead to problems, such as harm to long term relationships and gluttony to obesity. One aspect with the nature of pleasure, is how it was often frowned upon in an emphasis on virtue ethics. In particular, masturbation was seen as a 'sin', which is open to a lot of questioning. Also, the term 'sin' itself was bound up with an emphasis on individual 'salvation' of the soul.

So, it may be that the idea of the 'seven deadly sins' needs to be thought about on a deeper level. In particular, is the emphasis on 'perfectionism' in morality and spiritual development still relevant? That brings it back to thinking of the central questions of philosophy, including religion as a foundation for morality itself.

[Vagueabsolute]

I thank you all for the responses, i do, however, feel i need to clarify my intentions and standings a bit.

Im not religious, I don’t believe these seven deadly sins are “sins”. I don’t really believe in such a concept to begin with.
Either way, these “sins” represent commonly present parts of human nature.
For me, this subject is a mix of psychological self observation and a hint of mythology.

To clarify the question by restating it: What “sin” do you think could make you act in opposition to YOUR OWN will (not some predetermined right or wrong)?

I don’t find judging one self for acting against your own will to be “unhelpful”, but rather, i think it promotes self-awareness/control . No need to be too harsh on yourself of course, but acknowledging that you eat too much (gluttony), is beneficial when you really want to lose weight.
But more importantly this question isn’t in any way about judgement. I would prefer for the topic to remain hypothetical and at least somewhat light hearted.

[Carter Blunt]

Sloth. I have ADD. Just imagine if every morning, you had to brush your teeth by meticulously wiping them clean with a toothpick. Then, in order to eat breakfast, you gotta climb a coconut tree with nothing but a rope, and break the coconut by repeatedly throwing it against a rock. That's just what a basic daily routine feels like to me.

[Pattern-chaser]

What “sin” do you think could make you act in opposition to YOUR OWN will (not some predetermined right or wrong)?

There is no "sin" that can or could make me act in opposition to my own will.

If I am tempted, and succumb, I am still acting according to my own will.

[Pattern-chaser]

Sloth. I have ADD. Just imagine if every morning, you had to brush your teeth by meticulously wiping them clean with a toothpick. Then, in order to eat breakfast, you gotta climb a coconut tree with nothing but a rope, and break the coconut by repeatedly throwing it against a rock. That's just what a basic daily routine feels like to me.

I'm #AuDHD, to use the hashtag, so I fully appreciate what you say. That's why I thought I might nominate "Sloth" too.

[Vagueabsolute]

What “sin” do you think could make you act in opposition to YOUR OWN will (not some predetermined right or wrong)?

There is no "sin" that can or could make me act in opposition to my own will.

If I am tempted, and succumb, I am still acting according to my own will.

I don’t believe that to be true. Not everything you do is in accordance with your will. A suicidal person diving head first from a building will still flinch at the approaching ground. In a heated argument you could strike your best friend without wishing them harm. You could value the your life over the temptation of a poisonous treat and still eat it. You can hate who you loge for having what you can’t obtain. You can act knowing the future, and still regret that action. A nymphomaniac pedophile could rape a child, but if he had come up with the idea to cut his dick of to prevent this rape, he might well have taken that action. Full self control isn’t that easy to master.

[Pattern-chaser]

What “sin” do you think could make you act in opposition to YOUR OWN will (not some predetermined right or wrong)?

There is no "sin" that can or could make me act in opposition to my own will.

If I am tempted, and succumb, I am still acting according to my own will.

In a heated argument you could strike your best friend without wishing them harm.

That would be me, acting according to my will.

You could value the your life over the temptation of a poisonous treat and still eat it.

That too would be me, acting according to my will.

[Tegularius]

I'm not picky! Anyone will do!

[Vagueabsolute]

What “sin” do you think could make you act in opposition to YOUR OWN will (not some predetermined right or wrong)?

There is no "sin" that can or could make me act in opposition to my own will.

If I am tempted, and succumb, I am still acting according to my own will.

In a heated argument you could strike your best friend without wishing them harm.

That would be me, acting according to my will.

You could value the your life over the temptation of a poisonous treat and still eat it.

That too would be me, acting according to my will.

That’s not how i see it, so let’s agree to disagree?

[Good_Egg]

I thought I might nominate "Sloth" too.

I thought I might nominate Sloth...


...but in the end I couldn't be bothered.

[Zanne Crystle]

For me, it's definitely sloth. I have periods where I can't bring myself to do much and I slack off on my responsibilities or neglect myself.