Nice vs. Good

[jwcpgh]

No: HPFGUIDX 79852

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Nora Renka <nrenka at y...> wrote:
<snip> I keep seeing this Nice/Good dichotomy all over the
> place.  (Why, yes, there *is* an active Snapethread
> going, now that you mention it...).  I think there are
> some valid points to it, that those who do good,
> morally correct things are not always nice people.  
> 
> Fine.  I'll buy that.
> 
> But there are some moral theories, particularly the
> ones that are more stative (Kantian and virtue ethics
> come to mind here) that aren't so forgiving.  'Being
> nice' can be used as description of behavior which
> places the moral orientation and importance onto an
> actor rather than an act.  Kantian ethics tells us to
> act as though each person is an end in and of
> themself, and not to treat people as means.  
<snip>> 
> It's an ethical requirement to treat each person with
> respect for their innate humanity and human dignity. 
> And in this formulation, cruelty is a serious offense,
> and not something that can or should be ignored
> because the subject makes some correct actions.
> 
> Pensieve!James is cruel.  I myself found that scene
> rather disturbing, and felt some real empathy with
> Snape.  But on reflection, I actually find myself
> *less* sympathetic for Snape now than I used to be,
> because he should know better.  He's been the
> tormented, and now he's the tormentor, and the mental
> gymnastics must be amazing.  But he'd be a better
> person if he'd realize being 'nice' isn't a trivial
> thing.
><snip> 

Laura:

What you're saying makes a great deal of sense to me.  It also makes 
me wonder what you (and anyone else who cares to respond) would say 
about DD in this context.  There seems to be general agreement that, 
due to his position in the Order, he has to consider the overall 
situation rather than the good of any particular individual in it. Is 
it possible to do that and still meet the moral guidelines you set 
forth?  How?  And would you agree that he fails to do so with Sirius 
and with Harry?  It's not like he has hundreds or thousands of people 
at his command-it's a dozen or so if that.  So theoretically DD could 
have weighed the capabilities of each Order member and givne them 
appropriate assignments. 
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