Re: help-gnu-emacs Digest, Vol 186, Issue 39

Re: help-gnu-emacs Digest, Vol 186, Issue 39

[edgar]

> Date: Wed, 23 May 2018 15:19:29 -0400
> From: Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
> To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: General advice beyond Org
> 
>> We are talking about people's freedom.
> 
> "Freedom" is a vague concept, applied in very subjective ways.

Yep. That's what I meant before (a very human concept). Still, does not 
prevent us from trying to understand or define it.

> It's not like you can increase freedom in some respect without reducing
> it elsewhere.

This sounded like a scratching blackboard. These are not my words:

      “once a {person} has seen that values depend upon {her or himself, 
(s)}he can
       will only one thing, and that is freedom as the foundation
       of all values.” Sartre is clear that freedom underpins every
       choice we make, and so (as our values are nothing more than
       our choices) freedom underpins every value we create. So
       when I choose I am not only choosing a particular action, I
       am also willing the freedom which enables me to make that
       choice in the first place. We can add in here Sartre’s view
       that whatever I choose myself I am also choosing as an image
       or ideal for the whole of humanity. Therefore, whenever I
       make any free choice of my own I am also willing freedom for
       the whole of humanity; I am universalising freedom.

I am not a philosopher, but the guy who wrote it was. Now, we could ask 
Nietzsche or Hume what they think about this, and see the sparks from 
afar. :P

> So "rational" doesn't have much to do with it.

If trying to understand it or define it is not an option, I agree :) .

>         Stefan

Thank you, Stefan. May be we could get together one of these days to 
discuss more about the subject. In the mean time, I want to express my 
appreciation to all of your comments.

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