Thursday, February 18, 2010

Is there a right or wrong answer?

1 comment:

  1. Is that a trick question? If I answer that there's no right answer than my answer is incorrect by my own definition. And then my head explodes.

    But I do think that there are right or wrong answers to a lot of questions.

    What does 1 plus one equal? 2.
    Where am I sitting as I type this sentence? On the couch.
    Did I take a shower this morning? Yes.

    Those are pretty simple questions though. What about these?

    Is a person justified in punching someone else in the face for no other reason than because it makes the puncher feel strong?

    Should a person drive as fast and as carelessly as they can down a crowded freeway with no concern for the safety of themselves or anyone else, simply because it's fun for them?

    Is child molestation ever justified?

    I answer an unequivocal "no" to these three questions. There may be theoretical hoops you could jump through that let you answer "maybe" or "yes" to these questions (for example, if you asked a child molester if child molestation is justified, they may say yes ... and who are you to argue?). As a practical matter though, these things are all wrong and "no" is the right answer to the questions.

    ReplyDelete