Ok so the book doesn't prove the magical cosmic law of God, doesn't know what determinism even is, and thoroughly fails to explain why we should stop blaming people even if the cosmic law is true. But let's grant all those now: let's say that the cosmic law is real and we can ONLY ever do what's best for us, and let's call that determinism, and let's say that we can't blame people.
Let's EVEN grant this obviously unjustified time asymmetry where there is no past blame but there is future responsibility.
And let's EVEN grant that I can't know what's the most satisfying to you, even though in reality there are many situations where I can easily tell.
And most importantly, let's EVEN grant that people have fully functioning consciences. Even though it's a well-known fact that about 1 in 25 people have no conscience at all, and some more people have weak consciences, and these people tend to commit more crimes.
We granted all the above. Okay so the following seems to be the main point of the book, let's see (I'm curious to see what will come out of this):
Author wrote:As you are contemplating hurting me in some way, I know, as a matter of positive knowledge, that you cannot be blamed anymore because it is an undeniable law that man’s will is not free. This is a very unique two-sided equation, for it reveals that while you know you are completely responsible for everything you do to hurt me, I know you are not responsible. For the very first time you fully realize that I must excuse you because it is now known that man must always select of available alternatives the one that offers greater satisfaction, and who am I to know what gives you greater satisfaction. Consequently, you are compelled to realize that should you desire to hurt me in any way whatsoever, you must also take into consideration the knowledge that under no conditions will I strike you back because it can never satisfy me to hurt you for doing what I know you are compelled to do. This prevents you from thinking up excuses in advance because you know you are already excused. You cannot say, “I couldn’t help myself because my will is not free,” because you know I already know this. You cannot apologize or ask for forgiveness because you are already forgiven, and no one is blaming you. This means that should you decide to hurt me with this first blow or be careless and take the risks that lead to a first blow, and I would have to choose between 83 retaliating or turning the other cheek, you would know that I would be compelled by my nature to find greater satisfaction in turning the other cheek because of the undeniable fact that I would know you had no choice, since your will is not free. Remember, you haven’t hurt me yet; consequently, this is still a choice under consideration. And when it fully dawns on you that this hurt to me will never be blamed, judged, or questioned in any way because I don’t want to hurt you in return for doing what must now be considered a compulsion beyond your control — ALTHOUGH YOU KNOW IT IS NOT BEYOND YOUR CONTROL AT THIS POINT SINCE YOU HAVEN’T HURT ME YET — you are compelled, completely of your own free will, so to speak, to relinquish this desire to hurt me because it can never give you greater satisfaction under the changed conditions. [Note: It must be understood that the expression ‘of your own free will,’ which is an expression I use throughout the book, only means ‘of your own desire,’ but this does not mean will is free. If you need further clarification, please reread Chapter One.] In other words, when you know that others will never blame or punish you for what they are compelled to excuse, but also that the other factors truly responsible for the dissatisfaction which engendered the consideration of hurting others as a possible solution will be permanently removed as a consequence of following our slide rule in all of its ramifications, you will be given no opportunity to ever again strike another blow of hurt. It becomes the worst possible choice to hurt another when it is known there will be no blame because there is no advantage in hurting those whom you know are compelled to turn the other cheek for their satisfaction. Conscience, this guilty feeling over such an act, will not permit it because you will get less satisfaction, not more. Let me say again that if man’s will was free, we could not accomplish this because we would be able to choose what is less satisfying when something more satisfying is available.
Hm I still don't get how this is supposed to work. Say on a scale of 1 to 10, hurting you would give me a satisfaction of 8, and not hurting you would give me a satisfaction of 3. But then I realize that I won't be blamed, so my satisfaction of hurting you must fall below 3?
Why? Why doesn't it fall to say 7? And I'll still hurt you. Or if I don't care, it remains at 8. Or the fact that you won't blame me makes me so disgusted that it goes up to 9?
Explain why it will fall below 3?