Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="SHARK" data-source="post: 106928" data-attributes="member: 1131">Greetings!Axiomatic Unicorn wrote:Quote:"*IF* you put more emphasis on the honor of the paladin than me it would ONLY be because I put more empahsis on the protection of innocents than you.  But I still don't allow "the ends justifies the means" "End Quote.I find that discussions involving paladins and the paladin's code often revolve around sticky little concepts just like this. For example, which is more important for the paladin:(1) Accomplishing the mission, and thereby fulfilling the whole purpose;OR(2) Adhering to the letter of the paladin's code--but failing in the accomplishment of the mission?It seems that some feel that the paladin needs to adhere rigidly to the letter of the code in being "honorable"--while at the same time evincing a more casual attitude about the mission being accomplished. But I must say that if the paladin isn't accomplishing the mission, because the code hinders that accomplishment, then some reconsideration needs to be made for the code, whatever it happens to be. I mean this:The paladin exists for the purpose of fighting evil and defending the righteous,--that is the main purpose. The paladin's secondary purpose is to fulfill the code. For, if the code is more important than the mission, then it is a mockery of it's purpose. For the paladin fulfilling to the letter the code and all that--in and of itself--doesn't *do* anything. It just means that someone lives by a strict code and feels righteous in their devotion to their faith. But the larger question is, what does *that* really do?If it isn't successful in vanquishing evil and defending the righteous, then it really isn't useful. It is then shown to be ultimately cosmetic. As an example:A paladin confronted in a situation where lying will save someone's life. Is it more important to *save a life* or remain absolutely consistent with one's moral code?The problem that I think some people have is that they don't understand the heiarchy of moral *goods* Of course it is an absolute value to be honest at all times. That is *generally* true. But saving a life, for example, is a higher moral good, in this kind of circumstance, than in being *honest* There are many examples one could think of, and the questions are easy to navigate if one understands the different levels of morel *Goods* Likewise, a paladin, if he has any wisdom at all, rather than just blind legalistic thinking, will understand different levels of moral *goods* as well.Semper Fidelis,SHARK</blockquote>

Verification