EricHiggin said:
Yet you wonder why some people are the way they are? Ever think that some people were reasonably or highly generous, only to have it thrown back in their face anyway because of whatever faults they may have? Ever feel yourself like you're not getting what you want out of something, so you stop caring as much or quit altogether? Why bother being generous if all you're going to get is hatred thrown at you for doing so, when all you may want is a little respect? Why bother acting the way people expect you to if you're never going to please them anyway? Why not just do whatever is best for you in that case? Maybe Epstein did it out of guilt. Would that make it better? Knowing the good cause that money has helped, would you rather that money not have been accepted and let those who could have had better, suffer instead? Should the British have given back NA to the natives, or is the situation better off the way it is now? What saints we all are... |
If you are giving to charity because you want respect, you aren't being altruistic, you are being selfish. You are essentially paying for an advertisement about how good of a person you are. The motivation behind giving to charity for an altruistic individual is the knowledge you are helping others. These argument that you are putting forward are simply reinforcing the arguments I was making by listing several selfish reasons that one could use to donate to charity.
| KLAMarine said: Being a skeptic means I have to split hairs. |
You are not being a skeptic through this conversation. One of the key attributes of a skeptic is thinking and making well reasoned conclusions using the evidence that has been presented. Your entire argument rests upon the insistence that you do not believe you should be able to use your mind to make any conclusions that aren't laid out for you like a children's book.
That isn't being a skeptic, that is called being willfully ignorant.
If denying yourself the use of your mind is what it takes in order for you to justify Trump's words, I think that says all that needs to be said.
