I was aware of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. But I used to enjoy reading it to myself in HS. And I learned the new word nepenthe from the line in the poem: “Respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore; Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!” Nepenthe was a drug supposed by the ancient Greeks to cause forgetfulness of sorrow. I was a little surprised by that definition. And it made me think. Is there really pain or hardship or loss if you just forget about it? I know one of the theories behind anesthesia for surgery is that you feel the pain while under. Well, actually I think no one is really sure still about that part. But once awake, you forget all about the experience. So is that as bad? Is that bad at all? My atheist professor in my 2000 community college class brought up a good point. Lying, especially to deceive, is usually wrong. But it can be justified, if it is to prevent harm or loss. For example, he told us, they said the Pentagon computers were down for a day on Y2K. Actually, he pointed out, they were down a lot longer than a day. But if the military revealed that, we would be vulnerable to our enemies. Of course, when we were no longer in danger, that secret was revealed. Also, in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Latent Image" (January 20, 1999) they bring up another interesting dilemma of the ethics of allowing someone to know something. The Doctor discovers that Ensign Harry Kim has undergone complex brain surgery within the last two years which only he could have performed. The Doctor eventually discovers that Captain Janeway and the crew conspired to eliminate files concerning a traumatic event that he just couldn't deal with. After an attack during an away mission, the Doctor could only treat one of two equally critically injured patients: Ensign Jetal and Ensign Harry Kim. He saves Ensign Kim, while Jetal died on the operating table. As time passed, the Doctor was overpowered by guilt, believing his friendship with Harry affected his decision to make that decision. When the doctor discovers that Janeway and the crew deleted that memory, Janeway agrees they have no choice. He must be allowed to deal with the pain and guilt. And she begins counselling him as the show ends. But what if he never found out? Where does the right to know and the right to be free of pain overlap, and where do each end? I think we have the right to know of evils and tragedies that existed in the past, the witch hunts and the Nazi holocaust. In fact, even in the future, if the chances of anything like that ever happening again, I still we have the right to know. So the victims in situations like that didn't just die in vain, and people always know what they wen thru. Also, I am becoming more and more skeptical of the death penalty. I used to see it as just another form of euthanasia. The only problem with the death penalty is the anticipation of knowing they are about to execute you. But I believe people have the right to know something like that, always. And I only believe competent adults should ever be executed. Though as I said, I am becoming more and more skeptical of the death penalty. Which they don't practice in places like western Europe anyways. I am also becoming more and more skeptical of the fact hate speech is considered protected speech in my country. It isn't in western Europe either. Not all speech is allowed anyways. Here, speech is only outside the protection of the First Amendment if they cause a clear and present danger, to summarize quickly. (They actually use a slightly different standard now. But whatever.) But at the same time obscenity may not be protected, because it offends the standards of the community, especially out in public. Like with an adult movie theater or a store that sells pornographic magazines. To me, those two ideas conflict. One clearly causes harm, creating a clear and present danger. And other just has more to do with what offends. If what offends is outlawed at all, I think it should be the thing that really hurts and offends people. The thing that has absolutely no redeeming social value, and may even lead to violence down the road. And to me that seems to always be hate speech.
