Principles or Outcomes?

[Def.I.Nition]

What is more important to you? Upholding principles or getting specific outcomes?

A principled person, in my opinion, is a person who lives by certain principles even if the outcomes aren't necessarily what she likes, whereas, a radical person disregards principle in favor of outcomes. To the principled person the ends do not justify the means. To the radical person the ends can justify the means.

What is more important to you? The ends or the means?

Example of a principled person on the left: A civil liberties lawyer fights to uphold the First Amendment even if that means things he strongly disagrees with are said. For example, he will fight as strongly for the free speech rights of Neo-Nazis as he will for feminists.

Example of a radical person on the left: A civil liberties lawyer says he is in favor of the First Amendment's guarantees of free speech. He, however, is offended by speech of Nazis and then argues in an amicus brief to the court that Nazis are fundamentally bad for society and that their speech should be regulated.

Example of a principled person on the right: A Republican Congresswoman argues in favor of states rights even if the states do something she strongly disagrees with. She fights for the right of Oregon to have its assisted suicide law as strongly as she argues in favor of Alabama's rights to ban all abortions.

Example of a radical person on the right: A Republican Congresswoman argues in favor of states rights. She supports Alabama's right to ban all abortions but then fights against Oregon's assisted suicide law because assisted suicide is bad for society thus, Oregon's assisted suicide law should be overturned in the courts.

Are you radical or principled? Who, in opposition to your point of view, can you get along with better, the principled person or the radical person?

Do you agree with the distinction between radical and principled that I have set up here?

[eva]

I do agree with the system you have set up. I would consider myself a principled person. However, I don't think that it always makes you "moderate" or "extreme". There are many things that I would not do simply based upon principle, regardless of whether the outcome of my actions or inactions is benign or extreme.

For instance, my principles absolutely prohibit me from ever crossing a picket line. The outcome of this may be extreme (I may have to travel 100 miles for groceries, I may lose my job) or benign (no one really cares if I don't shop during a strike and profit of big grocer isn't affected) -- but the outcome to me is not as important as the action/inaction of being true to my own principles. Does that make sense?

[Lynaka]

By your definition I'm a radical person on the left. I agree with the idea of free speech, but being Canadian also have concerns about hate speech - thus our differing laws up here in regards to free speech.

However, I'm also flexibly principled. If my principles will harm others then I can certainly change them. Principle is defined as a guideline to conduct. It naturally follows that a person’s conduct is determined by what he holds as principles. If the principles are obnoxious, so will the conduct be. If you have a principle that you will not have your morning coffee until you have read your newspaper, it should be ok with everyone but if you have an addendum to it that no one shall have coffee until you have had yours, it creates friction. While the first principle is unobtrusive and does not infringe on others’ rights, the second has a far-reaching effect.

Sociologist Morris Massey describes three stages during which values are developed as well as three stages in which we become principled. The latter includes pre-moral, conventional and principled. I am and will continue to be at the conventional level, meaning basically 'here are the rules to live in reasonable harmony with other people.'

The bottom line of this state is that we will follow them just so long as we think we need to. We will break our values occasionally, and especially if our needs are threatened or we are pretty sure we can get away with breaking values with nobody else knowing about it.

I don't think I will ever be principled enough such that I would stick to my values through thick and thin, or even sacrifice myself rather than break my principles.