"Ron" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, "Dutch" >
> wrote:
>
>> "Ron" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > In article t>,
>> > Rudy Canoza > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Ron wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > In article >, "Dutch"
>> >> > >
>> >> > wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >>"Ron" > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >> >>
>> >> >>>In article >, "Dutch"
>> >> >
>> >> >>>wrote:
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>>That can be refuted by observing animal behaviour, and the massive
>> >> >>>>release
>> >> >>>>of fight-or-flight chemicals when an animal is threatened.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>Yup. It's called fear and anxiety. Fear and anxiety can be
>> >> >>>experienced
>> >> >>>in perceived threats as well as real ones. Check the stock market
>> >> >>>at
>> >> >>>how
>> >> >>>well the pharmaceutical companies are doing on the remedies to
>> >> >>>these
>> >> >>>emotions.
>> >> >>
>> >> >>Do you have a salient point here? Perhaps there is no such thing as
>> >> >>a
>> >> >>real
>> >> >>threat?
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > I made the point.
>> >>
>> >> It was horseshit.
>> >>
>> >> > "feeling" threatened (being afraid and anxious) is
>> >> > different than actually being threatened.
>> >>
>> >> Irrelevant. We're only talking about actual
>> >> situations, not merely one's feelings about them. If
>> >> the watch is stolen and you believe it to be stolen, or
>> >> have good reason to think it may be, then you are
>> >> complicit in crime by buying it.
>> >
>> > Been there, done that.
>>
>> You buy stolen property?
>>
>> > If I lie to you and tell you the watch stolen then, it is JUST a
>> > feeling.
>>
>> If the watch is not stolen then there is nothing wrong to be complicit
>> in.
>> The feeling of apprehension that was caused by your ruse does not mean
>> anything, morally, except it was a shitty juvenile trick.
>
> A prank that nonetheless demonstrate that the feelings of "guilt" or
> "wrongdoing" are only just feelings.

"Feelings" are not the issue, the issue is actual complicity in an immoral
act.

> If I did that play that trick, I
> could allow you to feel guilt endlessly. And the "truth" of the matter
> is that it wouldn't be stolen. The feelings would be experienced as
> "real", but the guilt would be false. I could allow you to feel like a
> bad person. I could even allow you to think that you might have a
> problem with the authorities and allow your apprehension to increase 10
> fold. Of course, the authorities don't get involved in non-stolen
> watches that I might sell to you.
>
> IOW, the emotion of wrongdoing is a theoretical construction of the mind
> that is created based on morality which is another theoretical
> construction of the mind.

In your example you created a false impression in that person's mind, that's
all. It has nothing to do with a real immoral act, apart from your lying.
All your demonstration shows is that people can be fooled into believing
something false.