The moral development of a boy named Bush

[Northern Perspective]

"The President of Good and Evil"

"Inquiring after the ethics of George W. Bush might seem to many like a Herculean task, and possibly doomed to failure, but worth a try anyway.

<snip>

"Singer examines Bush's ethics from a number of points of view – Utilitarianism, a Judeo-Christian value system, and a Libertarian perspective – and in every case fails to find a consistent framework that would make sense of Bush's moral reasoning. Turning to psychology Singer speculates that Bush's sometimes-rigid adherence to the ‘letter of the law' (but not its spirit) indicates that the president is stuck at what Harvard psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg termed the Conventional Stage of morality, which he describes as, “an orientation toward authority, fixed rules, and the maintenance of social order.” Kohlberg describes this as the level of moral development most often associated with 13 year olds. (The idea that the president of the United States has not yet graduated to the Post-conventional level of moral reasoning associated with Kantian-style universal principles is a troubling conjecture, but it might explain a lot)."



http://www.philosophynow.org/issue49/49oreilly.htm

[ultraist]

1. LMAO!!! THAT IS EXACTLY the stage Bush is in!!!

The conventional stage of morality: “an orientation toward authority, fixed rules, and the maintenance of social order" describes fundies as well!

These individuals would choose to conform to authority even if it is unethical.

[DBoon]

6. they define "ethics" as obedience of authority

Disobedience is the ultimate evil.

Dissent is treason. The leader is always right

[fooj]

13. Then is sounds like he was a bad, bad, little boy growing up...

[TalkingDog]

2. Interesting....I've always said most Republicans have the egocentrisim

and empathetic capacity of a 12 year old.

I guess I wasn't too far off the mark.

[The Doctor.]

12. Funny you should say that...

Most self-proclaimed 'conservatives' that support Bush** have difficulty dealing with logic, or any argument that requires advanced reasoning skills.

I know because I debate them on other sites and find that most of them only wind up saying, "You just like big words", or, "I'm putting you on my ignore list". Funny thing is, it's always the one question that ties my argument together that they can't answer... so they ignore me and call me a 'Liberal'.

(I'm a REAL Republican BTW - not a Bush-bot.)

[TalkingDog]

14. Hmm....If that's the case, I might be a Republican too....

"You just like big words"

I've heard that a few times over the course of my life.

I have no problems with Republicans. It's the uncritical thinking and lack of foresight (of any political stripe) that crawls up my back.

[RoBear]

3. Not often you see the words

"moral" and "Bush" in the same line.

[atommom]

7. Especially along with the word "development"!

;)

[ElsewheresDaughter]

8. arrested development!...at 13

[opihimoimoi]

4. "Ye shall know them by their fruits"..... so far its been bitter LEMONS

spun as sweet apples.....

The guy is a LOSER who has been placed on top of the Mountian of Power.....and advised by people with Ulterior motives....

How to rectify....?

Only by beefing up the awareness level.

More and more people are starting to realize...this Bush is not all that cranked up to be... his decisions are like that of a JW Booklet... full of gravy and promises at the start but in the end...its all spin and mind control.... leading to the brainwashing effect....

[atommom]

5. Great article!

Singer goes so far as to speculate that Bush was intoxicated, on drugs, or perhaps out of his mind when he uttered such obviously preposterous statements. But Singer quickly discounts such explanations, finding it far more plausible that the president may in fact be a patsy or a puppet – with the Machiavellians pulling the strings on the man from Mayberry.

(Here is where I need a good Photoshopped picture of Rove & Co. pulling the strings!)

It's good to see someone pointing out just how nekkid the emperor really is. I'm going to have to read that book.

[MissMarple]

9. And just when I thought I couldn't be any more cynical about George. .

Blind into Baghdad indeed.

"Clifford asks us to imagine a shipowner who knows his ship could do with a costly inspection and repairs, but sincerely believes that Providence will see the ship and its passengers through on a difficult voyage. Clifford argues that the shipowner's belief was not acquired “by honestly earning it in patient investigation, but by stifling his doubts.” When the ship sinks its owner's guilt is not absolved by the sincerity of his faith; indeed he is culpable precisely for substituting belief in place of practical measures."

[Warpy]

10. Given Bush's total disregard

for things like treaties, election law, ethics standards in government, and the constitution, I'd tend to disagree. I think his sense of entitlement overrides his rigid adherence to rules.

However, I do agree with the assessment of his developmental age, more or less. Alcoholics simply stop developing and remain "stuck" at whatever age they were when the booze took over. For Bush, that would seem to be about 15.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. I think giving Bush credit for having developed to the point of a 13 yr is

an insult to 13-year-olds. I think his emotional and moral levels are more along the line of a three year old. Totally self-centered, thinking that the world is centered around them, that they are omnipotent, short attention span, no tolerance for anyone who won't let them have their way...etc etc. Oh yes, and likes to play dressup in "manly" costumes.