This is a variation on a "snap your fingers" question.
Assume that there exists a pill for changing someone's world-view. There is no back story as to how it was developed and there are no real-world strings attached. No extreme personality changes or sociological repercussions are a part of this question. Just a pill that changes people's outlook.
For Christians: If this pill could change someone's world-view so that they become, let's say, perfect Christians (whatever that might mean to you), would you push for it to be distributed to everyone in the world?
For Athiests and agnostics: If this pill could change someone's world-view so that they no longer believed in God (whatever that might mean to you), would you push for it to be distributed to everyone in the world?
FOR BOTH:
If not, would you try and stop it from happening if someone else undertook this? If yes, would you be willing to sacrifice the rest of your life in order to devote it to the logistics of making this happen?
I'd like to leave this open to deists and other world-views also. Where on the scale of ethics do you think this falls?
The World-View Pill
Moderator: Moderators
Post #21
I would not support it. As much as I am against religion people should always be free to have their beleifs regardless of how much another person disagrees.
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes
Great minds discuss ideas, Average minds dicuss events, Small minds discuss people.
~Eleanor Roosenvelt~
Great minds discuss ideas, Average minds dicuss events, Small minds discuss people.
~Eleanor Roosenvelt~
Post #22
I would support a pill that would change certain specific destructive behaviors, such as an attraction to young children or an intense bloodlust, because that could be quite useful in rehabilitating criminals.
But a pill that would change a person's religious outlook? I think it should be available to those who *want* it, but should not be forced on anyone. Of course, the amount of people who want it will probably be quite marginal as everything thinks their own beliefs are correct (obviously, that's why they believe them).
What WOULD be interesting is if a person could "piggyback" in someone else's mind for a day or so, being in their body, feeling their emotions, thinking their thoughts, experiencing their world -- in effect walking in that person's shoes for a day. They then would go back to being themselves. That would give a person a voluntary taste of another person's beliefs and life and might help them be a little less quick to judge.
Vianne
But a pill that would change a person's religious outlook? I think it should be available to those who *want* it, but should not be forced on anyone. Of course, the amount of people who want it will probably be quite marginal as everything thinks their own beliefs are correct (obviously, that's why they believe them).
What WOULD be interesting is if a person could "piggyback" in someone else's mind for a day or so, being in their body, feeling their emotions, thinking their thoughts, experiencing their world -- in effect walking in that person's shoes for a day. They then would go back to being themselves. That would give a person a voluntary taste of another person's beliefs and life and might help them be a little less quick to judge.
Vianne
