There is no "Is-Ought Problem" because there is no 'ought'.

[Scott]

This is a discussion forum topic for the November 2022 Philosophy Book of the Month, In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All.


There is no "Is-Ought Problem" because there is no 'ought'.

There is no "Problem of Evil" because there is no evil.

All there is, is what is.

Concepts of 'was' & 'will be' are relativistic subsets of 'is', derived by combining 'is' with the subjective illusion that is time.

To say or think, "I should be choosing X but I am choosing Y", is meaningless nonsense.

To say or think, "I ought to be choosing A but am choosing B", is meaningless nonsense.

When it comes to your choices, you always get exactly what you want, meaning what you choose. And everything else is what it is.

There are no shoulds. There are no oughts.

All there is and will be, is what is and will be.



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[Surabhi Rani]

Very straightforward thinking! This is the power of free will in a human being.

[PuerAzaelis]

There is no "Is-Ought Problem" because there is no 'ought'.

There is no "Problem of Evil" because there is no evil.

All there is, is what is.

It is objectively wrong to torture children for fun.

[Scott]

There is no "Is-Ought Problem" because there is no 'ought'.

There is no "Problem of Evil" because there is no evil.

All there is, is what is.

It is objectively wrong to [...]

I don't understand what you mean by the phrase "objectively wrong". Can you define that term ("objective wrong")?

Also, may I ask you to post a reply in the topic, Do you agree with everything in the book, "In It Together"? If not, what is the first sentence with which you disagree?

That will let me know all the sentences before the first disagreement with which you therefore agree, so I will have more agreed premises and common ground to use to understand the context of what you are saying.

[hsimone]

This is something I’m understanding and agreeing with more (thanks to you!). One example that comes to mind is when I make a decision, I just make it. I ‘should’ or ‘should not’ have to feel a certain way about that decision. I made it based on what would work for my family.

Of course, I have feelings for many things and sometimes a decision I make might leave me feeling a certain way. However, there’s something freeing about not having to have the mindset that I ‘should’ or ‘should not’ feel a certain emotion toward it. Does that make sense?

About the evil statement. That one throws me for a loop every time I see it. I think it’s because I am reminded of all those who abuse others, especially young children and babies. Then, I remind myself that I personally don’t like labeling people as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ (don’t get me started about Santa Claus ), so then I think maybe there isn’t evil, but there are those who need extra help and aren’t getting the support they need. Then, this leads to poor/bad choices, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are evil.

[Scott]

This is something I’m understanding and agreeing with more (thanks to you!). One example that comes to mind is when I make a decision, I just make it. I ‘should’ or ‘should not’ have to feel a certain way about that decision. I made it based on what would work for my family.

Of course, I have feelings for many things and sometimes a decision I make might leave me feeling a certain way. However, there’s something freeing about not having to have the mindset that I ‘should’ or ‘should not’ feel a certain emotion toward it. Does that make sense?

About the evil statement. That one throws me for a loop every time I see it.

Thank you for your reply and sharing your thoughts!

The way I see it, saying "there is no evil" is the same as saying "there is no shoulds and no oughts".

To me, saying something that happened in the past was 'evil' is the same as saying that it 'should not' have happened or that it 'ought not' to have happened. In other words, calling things 'evil' is simply another way to say they aren't the way they 'should' be. I think it would be an understatement to even say one leads to the other because to me it seems like they are the same thing.

I think maybe there isn’t evil, but there are those who need extra help and aren’t getting the support they need. Then, this leads to poor/bad choices, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are evil.

I like that.

It reminds me of this quote by Marianne Williamson: "See all human behavior as one two things: either love, or a call for love."

[hsimone]

This is something I’m understanding and agreeing with more (thanks to you!). One example that comes to mind is when I make a decision, I just make it. I ‘should’ or ‘should not’ have to feel a certain way about that decision. I made it based on what would work for my family.

Of course, I have feelings for many things and sometimes a decision I make might leave me feeling a certain way. However, there’s something freeing about not having to have the mindset that I ‘should’ or ‘should not’ feel a certain emotion toward it. Does that make sense?

About the evil statement. That one throws me for a loop every time I see it.

Thank you for your reply and sharing your thoughts!

The way I see it, saying "there is no evil" is the same as saying "there is no shoulds and no oughts".

To me, saying something that happened in the past was 'evil' is the same as saying that it 'should not' have happened or that it 'ought not' to have happened. In other words, calling things 'evil' is simply another way to say they aren't the way they 'should' be. I think it would be an understatement to even say one leads to the other because to me it seems like they are the same thing.

That's actually an interesting way of looking at it. I've never thought about it that way.

I think maybe there isn’t evil, but there are those who need extra help and aren’t getting the support they need. Then, this leads to poor/bad choices, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are evil.

I like that.

It reminds me of this quote by Marianne Williamson: "See all human behavior as one two things: either love, or a call for love."

Thank you!

I've never heard of that quote before, but I absolutely love it and agree!