The Thieves and the Rooster

Light and peace to all whose eyes these letters appear!

Some time has passed since I last posted anything on my weblog. I've been bombarded with philosophy seminar courses, the mind-numbing concepts of medieval thought (not to mention the inconveniences that come with having to remember Latin case-endings and verb conjugations). So, I haven't felt inspired to write anything particularly philosophical. However, I found some interesting literature tonight as I was browsing through my books: Fables!

While I much prefer to work with the abstractions of ethical theories, they are quite limited in their capacity to capture the salient features of a moral situation. Their clear-cut formulations tend to trivialize the reality of moral dilemmas. What's worst is the fact that most people don't sort through ethical theories when it comes to making moral judgments in "real-time."

On the other hand, myths, historical narratives and what appear to be "petty stories" (i.e. Fables!) have a way of bringing to our attention many of the aspects involved in a moral situation: the role of the emotions, psychological states, intentionality...etc. So, here is one little story, I believe, lucidly describes what often happens in a moral conflict, or injustice:

"Some thieves broke into a house and found nothing but a rooster, whom they stole, and got off as fast as they could. Upon arriving at home they prepared to kill the rooster, who thus pleaded for his life: "Pray spare me; I am very serviceable to men. I wake them up in the night to their work."

"That is the very reason why we must the more kill you," they replied; "for when you wake your neighbors, you entirely put an end to our business."

May the benevolent radiance of Fortune's face shine upon you all!

Camardicus