Philosophy Now Forum

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:13 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:07 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:05 am

How does it look like I did it on purpose? Where did I say I did it on purpose?

As far as I can ascertain, you couldn't cope with the job anyway, so you did something to ensure that you would never be able to continue with that job. You weren't thinking about anyone else.

I was having a delusional episode and wasn't able to discern what I was doing. I thought I was doing everything the way I was supposed to until I noticed that piles of documents were out of order. That's when I realized how bad my condition was. Up until then I couldn't tell I was putting things out of order and forgetting pages etc. etc. It's like being caught in a whirlwind of confusion and not realizing what I was doing. I didn't do it on purpose. But believe what you want. I don't care anymore what you think. I feel enough like shit just for fucking up so badly.

Yet according to you, you 'left and never went back' but you are completely aware of exactly what it is you did wrong. Surely the original document must still have existed. Or did you have a 'psychotic episode' and 'accidentally' put it through the shredder? I don't see how a photo copier can destroy the original document.

Bye.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:19 amBye.

Well did you shred it or not? I need it to make sense, damn it!

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:23 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:19 amBye.

Well did you shred it or not? I need it to make sense, damn it!

No. I didn't shred anything that I know of. I just fucked up the order everything was in.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:24 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:23 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:19 amBye.

Well did you shred it or not? I need it to make sense, damn it!

No. I didn't shred anything that I know of. I just fucked up the order everything was in.

Then why on earth would that destroy a business? You are being ridiculous.

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:26 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:24 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:23 am

Well did you shred it or not? I need it to make sense, damn it!

No. I didn't shred anything that I know of. I just fucked up the order everything was in.

Then why on earth would that destroy a business? You are being ridiculous.

It was a huge document. The lady who entrusted me with it said it was their only copy and to be careful with it. So I'm not sure if she was able to fix it or not. I couldn't face anyone after that, I completely lost face. I was fine with copying things up until that dreadful day when I had that episode. It's possible that she could have put it back together, I suppose.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:33 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:26 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:24 am

No. I didn't shred anything that I know of. I just fucked up the order everything was in.

Then why on earth would that destroy a business? You are being ridiculous.

It was a huge document. The lady who entrusted me with it said it was their only copy and to be careful with it. So I'm not sure if she was able to fix it or not. I couldn't face anyone after that, I completely lost face. I was fine with copying things up until that dreadful day when I had that episode. It's possible that she could have put it back together, I suppose.

As far as I am aware, photocopiers do not destroy the original document. I can't even imagine how that could happen. So what if it's 'out of order'?

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:38 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:33 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:26 am

Then why on earth would that destroy a business? You are being ridiculous.

It was a huge document. The lady who entrusted me with it said it was their only copy and to be careful with it. So I'm not sure if she was able to fix it or not. I couldn't face anyone after that, I completely lost face. I was fine with copying things up until that dreadful day when I had that episode. It's possible that she could have put it back together, I suppose.

As far as I am aware, photocopiers do not destroy the original document. I can't even imagine how that could happen. So what if it's 'out of order'?

Maybe I freak out too easily or something. I don't like making everyone's job harder.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:48 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:38 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:33 am

It was a huge document. The lady who entrusted me with it said it was their only copy and to be careful with it. So I'm not sure if she was able to fix it or not. I couldn't face anyone after that, I completely lost face. I was fine with copying things up until that dreadful day when I had that episode. It's possible that she could have put it back together, I suppose.

As far as I am aware, photocopiers do not destroy the original document. I can't even imagine how that could happen. So what if it's 'out of order'?

Maybe I freak out too easily or something. I don't like making everyone's job harder.

I think you caused some extra work but I don't see how the original document could have been lost unless you put it in the rubbish or completely deleted it somehow.

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:51 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:48 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:38 am

As far as I am aware, photocopiers do not destroy the original document. I can't even imagine how that could happen. So what if it's 'out of order'?

Maybe I freak out too easily or something. I don't like making everyone's job harder.

I think you caused some extra work but I don't see how the original document could have been lost unless you put it in the rubbish or completely deleted it somehow.

I left it on the table where I left off when I realized I had boggled the order of everything up. The lady who entrusted me with it had told me that she "doesn't just trust anyone with the job of copying it because it was their only copy." Anyway, I let her down pretty badly, and I couldn't face her after that. Maybe I overreact too much to things at times. Most of my jobs after that were as front desk receptionists where I couldn't screw up as badly. It was humiliating. Back then, being a male receptionist was setting the bar very low, and I felt like a loser. What can I say, I have weird issues, I guess.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:58 am

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:51 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 3:48 am

Maybe I freak out too easily or something. I don't like making everyone's job harder.

I think you caused some extra work but I don't see how the original document could have been lost unless you put it in the rubbish or completely deleted it somehow.

I left it on the table where I left off when I realized I had boggled the order of everything up. The lady who entrusted me with it had told me that she "doesn't just trust anyone with the job of copying it because it was their only copy." Anyway, I let her down pretty badly, and I couldn't face her after that. Maybe I overreact too much to things at times. Most of my jobs after that were as front desk receptionists where I couldn't screw up as badly. It was humiliating. Back then, being a male receptionist was setting the bar very low, and I felt like a loser. What can I say, I have weird issues, I guess.

I'm pretty sure you didn't cause the business to go bust. They wouldn't be that stupid. They probably would have been very understanding if you hadn't run off.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2023 1:39 am There's an old dark saying I've been fascinated by since I first heard it. "It's better to do evil than nothing at all." Is that true?

I've always thought doing nothing would be better than doing evil. So I mostly try to do nothing. But it still seems to turn out evil.

I temped at some sort of medical equipment corporation once not long after I was first hospitalized with mental illness. I had a manic episode at their copier and pretty much wrecked the only original copy of a medical manual that they possessed for their product. I never went back. I probably put them out of business. It would have been better for everyone's sake had I just slept in that day and not shown up for work. But, I did evil that day instead of nothing at all. It was a mistake. What lousy advice!

You weren't well Gary. And no, it's not true as formulated and plainly read. Your judgement is still impaired if you have to ask. So ask.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2023 1:39 am There's an old dark saying I've been fascinated by since I first heard it. "It's better to do evil than nothing at all." Is that true?

I've always thought doing nothing would be better than doing evil. So I mostly try to do nothing. But it still seems to turn out evil.

This discussion is related to a fundamental problem of consequentialism. The usual definition means that we should jfudge our actions based on the outcome. Thus an action would be judged good if the result is good.

PROBLEM, big problem. We must make the decision how to act without knowing the outcome. We can think we know what the outcome will be, perhaps express our expectation of the outcome in terms of probabilities. But we must act, if at all, without certainty of the outcome, since that lies in the future. In other words, with the usual definitions of consequentialism, we cannot know if our choice is good or bad.

To me that suggests we need to split consequentialim into two forms. One like it is now, where I have argued cannot serve as a guide for our actions. The second form might be given a name like "intent consequentialism". With that form we judge our choice of action good or bad based upon our best judgement whether the outcome will be good or bad. We accept that this judgement will not be perfect, we are only human. We accept that we may have been mistaken.

To support this, consider the situation in reverse. Suppose the person making the decision was trying to do evil, to intentionally cause harm. Would we not want to regard this as bad/immoral? Would we want change our opinion just because the person acting with evil intent turned out to be mistaken? Or some by freak circumstance the outcome turned out to be good?