02 . text

[systemize]

[The comm tag reads Stormer and is untraceable.]

Someone asked me recently how I'd define moral and immoral, but I think my perspective's a little skewed. How do you define it?


> private to Magicman
I need to ask you for a favor. Do they have you listed as an adult here? I wasn't sure what your official age would be.

> private to Isaac
I think I have your software finished. I can send you the file to download and you can check if it needs troubleshooting.

Comments

[tadeadshi]

[Smart person.]

It sounds like your life experience is a lot different than it should be if you feel it's that skewed.

[systemize]

[Cadel actually had thought people were straight forward for a few years, when he was younger. Then he effectively woke up. For one thing, he himself wasn't as straight forward as he'd thought.]

Maybe I shouldn't say skewed. It's a problem of scale. I'm not used to small moral dilemmas, and I'd really like to be.

[He probably wouldn't be this honest without the relative anonymity of his online facade, either.]

[tadeadshi]

Then I guess the question for small dilemmas would be to ask: what would the potential outcomes be? Do they hurt or help others?

At least that's how I look at things.

[systemize]

It's not usually that simple. When there's multiple people involved, it becomes about who it's hurting, who it's helping. Weighing someone's value just doesn't feel right.

[tadeadshi]

But then it isn't just a 'small' moral dilemma.

But you're right, weighing someone's value isn't right at all.

[systemize]

...Right. So you get why I'm having that problem with scale. Maybe it's useless to think of it this philosophically anyway. I probably need to be socialized more.

[tadeadshi]

It's not useless. It just sounds like it's not something you're used to. It takes some experience to figure out.

But you're trying and that's a big step. You'll get there.

[systemize]

For a while I thought human interaction was like any other system, and I'm good at systems. I could tell you the Sydney rail schedule from four years ago cold. But I probably don't have to tell you that systemizing people didn't end well.

[tadeadshi]

Ah.

[It does occur to him that this could be a front. But his brother's single public response down there was openly concerned so must not be.]

It usually doesn't, no. People are too unpredictable. You just have to get to know them and see what happens from there.

But you sound like you're on the right track at least.

[systemize]

[People that know how easily lying and manipulation come to him are sometimes skeptical that Cadel isn't putting up a front. Even those he considers friends, close friends, have falsely accused him of it before. So he'd be frustrated, but not surprised with the thought.]

Thanks. It's been getting easier lately. Probably mostly because the people I've been meeting are all pretty nice, instead of lying, self-interested, and malicious. So getting to know them isn't that bad.

[tadeadshi]

Most people usually are. I haven't met many that aren't.

I didn't answer the question I'm sorry. I look at if something will benefit the majority in the long run. If it's helping and that outweighs the negative, then I think it's worth trying.

[systemize]

[Cadel's aware that his childhood was controlled specifically to isolate him from those kinds of people, to make him think everyone was self-serving and cruel, but it's too personal to talk about that.]

I realized that a couple years ago.

Even if it's technically illegal or disruptive along the way?

[tadeadshi]

Well

That's where that whole "depends on the person" thing comes into play. Some people think the law should be unbreakable, even if it means helping someone. Others put helping above the law.

It depends on what you value more.

[systemize]

The man who raised me thought the law was an annoyance, but my adoptive father is a police detective. I'm still trying to decide what I think.