Autumn

[Nearly Sane]

You said you are either compassionate or you aren't. No room in that for being extended.

[BashfulAnthony]

You said you are either compassionate or you aren't. No room in that for being extended.

Let me throw it back at you:  would you describe a person who has no compassion for other intelligent, sentient beings (animals ) as compassionate?

[Gordon]

I didn't quite say that, did I.  Perhaps it would be more polite to say that her compassion might be extended somewhat.

How can you say this about someone you don't know?

If we think of compassion as, say, being abstract and also having something to do with good character then you seem to be suggesting some kind of compassion deficiency in relation to NS's mother - on what basis do you reach this judgment?

[Nearly Sane]

You said you are either compassionate or you aren't. No room in that for being extended.

Let me throw it back at you:  would you describe a person who has no compassion for other intelligent, sentient beings (animals ) as compassionate?

Throw what back at me? Your avoidance of t point?


Anyway, as I said earlier, I think it is more complex than just compassionate/ not compassionate dichotomy you have been arguing for here. I think people can be compassionate about some things but not others and still have compassionate. It's like many things in human behaviour a continuum.

[BashfulAnthony]

I didn't quite say that, did I.  Perhaps it would be more polite to say that her compassion might be extended somewhat.

How can you say this about someone you don't know?

If we think of compassion as, say, being abstract and also having something to do with good character then you seem to be suggesting some kind of compassion deficiency in relation to NS's mother - on what basis do you reach this judgment?

It is NS who introduced his mother into the discussion.  I am talking in general terms, and if you wish to personalise it, perhaps you can justify why an individual should be sparing in his/her compassion?

I repeat: if you are unable to show compassion to animals, who suffer so much at human hands, then I think your sense of compassion is lacking in total.  How can anyone feel pity for suffering humans, and not feel compassion that same suffering in other creatures.  I find that concept amazing.  Gandhi said that when we face our Maker, the question we will find it most difficult to answer, is our treatment of the animals of the world.

[BashfulAnthony]

You said you are either compassionate or you aren't. No room in that for being extended.

Let me throw it back at you:  would you describe a person who has no compassion for other intelligent, sentient beings (animals ) as compassionate?

Throw what back at me? Your avoidance of t point?


Anyway, as I said earlier, I think it is more complex than just compassionate/ not compassionate dichotomy you have been arguing for here. I think people can be compassionate about some things but not others and still have compassionate. It's like many things in human behaviour a continuum.

But why be selective with your compassion?  I cannot understand why any person should decide to ignore the sufferings and needs of some beings, and not others?

[Nearly Sane]

Actually BA, you are not repeating yourself, you are qualifying the dichotomy you originally posited that either you are compassionate or you are not.

[BashfulAnthony]

Actually BA, you are not repeating yourself, you are qualifying the dichotomy you originally posited that either you are compassionate or you are not.

Okay.  But you haven't justified the notion that it is acceptable to be sparing with your compassion.  To me, to ignore suffering in any creature is just plain wrong.

[Nearly Sane]

You said you are either compassionate or you aren't. No room in that for being extended.

Let me throw it back at you:  would you describe a person who has no compassion for other intelligent, sentient beings (animals ) as compassionate?

Throw what back at me? Your avoidance of t point?


Anyway, as I said earlier, I think it is more complex than just compassionate/ not compassionate dichotomy you have been arguing for here. I think people can be compassionate about some things but not others and still have compassionate. It's like many things in human behaviour a continuum.

But why be selective with your compassion?  I cannot understand why any person should decide to ignore the sufferings and needs of some beings, and not others?

I haven't been making an argument about the whys of compassion, just about your false dichotomy that one is either compassionate or not compassionate - something you are now seeking to qualify without retracting what you are no portraying as erroneous.

[BashfulAnthony]

You said you are either compassionate or you aren't. No room in that for being extended.

Let me throw it back at you:  would you describe a person who has no compassion for other intelligent, sentient beings (animals ) as compassionate?

Throw what back at me? Your avoidance of t point?


Anyway, as I said earlier, I think it is more complex than just compassionate/ not compassionate dichotomy you have been arguing for here. I think people can be compassionate about some things but not others and still have compassionate. It's like many things in human behaviour a continuum.

But why be selective with your compassion?  I cannot understand why any person should decide to ignore the sufferings and needs of some beings, and not others?

I haven't been making an argument about the whys of compassion, just about your false dichotomy that one is either compassionate or not compassionate - something you are now seeking to qualify without retracting what you are no portraying as erroneous.

Dichotomy or not, with respect, you are not appreciating my point here.  I believe that to consider yourself compassionate, then your compassion should extend to all.   If your compassion does not extend to all, then you cannot, in honesty, call yourself a truly compassionate person.   Why do you disagree with that?

[Nearly Sane]

With respect, read what I have posted here because we haven't been talking about what you or I might consider a 'truly' (added word that didn't firm part of your original statement ) compassionate person. I have, as I have made clear multiple times, just been disagreeing with your dichotomy of compassionate/not compassionate.

Anyway off to club a seal now, I hope you manage to get what has been said and repaid rather than your straw you seem so keen on. Have a nice evening.

[Gordon]

It is NS who introduced his mother into the discussion.  I am talking in general terms, and if you wish to personalise it, perhaps you can justify why an individual should be sparing in his/her compassion?

You seem to see compassion as being measurable: you said earlier about compassion being 'extended' and now you talk of it being 'sparing', which suggests some kind of quantitative scale for something that surely has qualitative aspects. How does that work? 

[BashfulAnthony]

With respect, read what I have posted here because we haven't been talking about what you or I might consider a 'truly' (added word that didn't firm part of your original statement ) compassionate person. I have, as I have made clear multiple times, just been disagreeing with your dichotomy of compassionate/not compassionate.

Anyway off to club a seal now, I hope you manage to get what has been said and repaid rather than your straw you seem so keen on. Have a nice evening.

Clearly we aren't going to see eye to eye on this, so we'll leave it at that.  I'm off to my weekly,"Save the rats" group."        Have a good night.

[BashfulAnthony]

It is NS who introduced his mother into the discussion.  I am talking in general terms, and if you wish to personalise it, perhaps you can justify why an individual should be sparing in his/her compassion?

You seem to see compassion as being measurable: you said earlier about compassion being 'extended' and now you talk of it being 'sparing', which suggests some kind of quantitative scale for something that surely has qualitative aspects. How does that work?

When I talk of "sparing," I'm referring to the manner in which some see it, not I.  How can you be compassionate sometimes, not always, and not to all beings?  "I feel compassion for that sad man, but not his dog, who both died in the same accident," is not the definition of a compassionate person.

[floo]

I don't believe animals of other species should be treated in the same way as humans, but one should not be deliberately cruel to them either. The animals which we eat should be dispatched in a way which causes them as little pain as possible.

My father used to drown the unwanted kittens of the many cats we had on our property, which kept down any vermin. My mother was not happy that he disposed of them in that way as it was not always a quick death. He did desist, but I am not sure how he got rid of them after that!

[BashfulAnthony]

I don't believe animals of other species should be treated in the same way as humans, but one should not be deliberately cruel to them either. The animals which we eat should be dispatched in a way which causes them as little pain as possible.

My father used to drown the unwanted kittens of the many cats we had on our property, which kept down any vermin. My mother was not happy that he disposed of them in that way as it was not always a quick death. He did desist, but I am not sure how he got rid of them after that!

To quote a popular song of yesteryear: "Your loveliness goes on and on."

[Rhiannon]

First proper frost this morning, accompanied by thick fog and that ubiquitous autumn creature, the tailgating muppet.

[floo]

It is still very mild here. As nice as that is, it isn't normal for the time of year and global warming springs to mind.

[Nearly Sane]

It is still very mild here. As nice as that is, it isn't normal for the time of year and global warming springs to mind.

It shouldn't - this is just weather

[floo]

It is still very mild here. As nice as that is, it isn't normal for the time of year and global warming springs to mind.

It shouldn't - this is just weather

But not normal for the time of year!

[Nearly Sane]

It is still very mild here. As nice as that is, it isn't normal for the time of year and global warming springs to mind.

It shouldn't - this is just weather

But not normal for the time of year!

Which will show nothing about global warming

[Rhiannon]

How was the storm last night for you chaps north of the border?

[Shaker]

As the old saying goes, weather is what you see if you open the front door - any conclusions about climate have to be based on rigorous data going back decades or even centuries.