If I were making a big deal out of something small, I would start using provocative language, ad hominem attacks, rude capitalisation. I would stop using terms like "I believe, I feel, I think, it may be that". If I were to make a very big deal out of it, I may, possibly, even point to my sig and explicitly say it was non-applicable for this post. But it is applicable.
Without getting into accepted standards of proof, subjectivity and relativity and such, I stated an opinion which you seem to be taking issue with. You haven't disproved as far as I can see, and although I don't think it's likely that you'll disprove it, I would like to hear, in a detailed explanation, why you disagree.
The word I used was "whatsoever" which is generally defined as something in the ballpark of " one or some or every or all without specification". I did not say "all people, use every means in every case to get what they want". I have not said this, which is why you telling me that "all people use every means in every case" is not true, reads to me as a non-sequitur.
This is not what I described It is. It is not, however, what I described. I was talking about psychopaths. A term which I believe has fallen into disuse among respectable psychologists, but which is usually taken to mean a person who feels little empathy for other or who enjoys making others suffer.
What a sociopath appears to be.
While I don't agree with this, it isn't relevant to what I said, so I won't comment upon it.
That is almost, but not quite, exactly what I did not say. Which is cool, but not relevant.
Yes. You appear not to understand the distinction between [ANY] as found in most dictionaries and [ALL] as found in most dictionaries.
The existence of society is to my mind indicative of the fact the people are bastards, psychopaths, disgusting savage animals - but ones who have the rationality to agree not to kill each other because they understand that most of us can dish out much more than we can take.
People use seduction, lies, fear, suspicion etc to gain advantages. They make people feel bad, sometimes for personal gain, sometimes for nothing more than the pleasure of seeing a person cry. I think most of us are like that. Maybe you don't, do you?
Which is why I think that gaining power won't fundamentally change a person, it will simply reveal who s/he really is.
I think Harry is a person who genuinely cares about people, which is why I would not object to his acquire great power, and trust him to use it with great responsibility.
so youre saying that brute force isn't "one or some or every or all without specification" means within your power of accomplishing a goal?
Do you see the problem with that?
Whatsoever and any are two ways of saying the same thing, something that is very common in the english language. Perhaps you didn't mean to use whatsoever and meant to specify more?
Ive simply been pointing out that your statement embraced faulty logic. If people used whatsoever (or as you define it:
one or
some or
every or
all without specification) means within their power of getting what they wanted things would be much much different round these here parts. People would be shooting each other constantly for cars, mates, money, clothing, food, living quarters etc and not just in the small numbers that do it now.
Now lets try to steer it back on the road:
Yes, people are for the most part not very nice creatures, and rather self centered. Like I said, psychological egoism is the closest fit i've found for why things function as they do.
Now, that being said, the more power you give someone the more choices they have (ala Jim's authorial voice in PG Father Forthill to Harry, and something thats always rang true with me). Giving them more choices simply increases the probability they will make a poor choice. Also, as I said before, some people are better at wielding power and making correct or as some would define them "right" choices. However if you give someone infinite power, absolute authority etc you give them infinite chance to Fuck Up.
To sum up: Humans with absolute power or even limited deity level power (lets say powers of a greek god, hermes for instance.) = BAD IDEA, even if they are the nicest, most well meaning, honorable person around.
To get fully back on topic: even harry realizes this. thats WHY he doesn't whistle up the coin to go ape shit, or pull a darkhallow and start squishing his enemies with extreme prejudice. because he knows he'd eventually forget himself and do something awful. even with mab he figures its only a matter of weeks or months at most before he's off the deepend.
