Metsfanmax wrote:mrswdk wrote:Argue that fighting someone because they don't believe in the same god is dumb while napalming an entire country in order to protect them from communism is less dumb if you like, but you're splitting hairs.
That is not what I am arguing. We didn't "napalm an entire country" to protect them from communism; that was a means to the end of protecting us from communism. And it was clearly an inadvisable way to go about that; but the goal was substantially less irrational. Furthermore, Vietnam is remarkable precisely because of how stupid it was. We all look back on it now and recognize that. (And many recognized it at the time, of course.) But look at the Old Testament. Look at Homer. In previous millennia (and unfortunately, in the current one in some parts of the Middle East), the types of wars I was describing earlier were what people based their whole traditions on. It infused their entire way of life. It was honorable to fight and defend your honor if you were offended by another person. Now we rightly look on that as idiotic.
no, simply the values we assign to principles have changed.
what to you is idiotic wasn't for them. and viceversa.