Cheney sticks it out until the bitter end. Is he a truly immoral individual?

[iNow]

I contend that he knows that if this investigation is allowed then more investigations will come, and those other investigations will be further damning and show many more laws broken. While Cheney having a higher/elevated sense of morality is one possibility, given the breadth of evidence to the contrary, IMO it seems rather unlikely.

[Mokele]

An interesting idea to consider is that if Cheney legitimately reasons that the policies of the previous administration although possibly illegal were justified by the fact that they helped protect a large portion of the population then he is actually showing a very high level of moral development and reason.

 

I would agree, but the unwillingness to be investigated is what makes me hesitant. If he *really* was doing what any reasonable person thought was best, shouldn't he welcome an investigation that would vindicate him.

 

I'd also point out that he's not merely breaking laws for the common good, he's using a method of information gathering so morally reprehensible that it's banned throughout the civilized world. That's a pretty hefty dose of 'the ends justify the means'.

[The Bear's Key]

An interesting idea to consider is that if Cheney legitimately reasons that the policies of the previous administration although possibly illegal were justified by the fact that they helped protect a large portion of the population then he is actually showing a very high level of moral development and reason.

A person who does what's moral isn't sneaky about it -- with a good dose of secret retaliation vs anyone who dares contradict their (fragile) justifications with (stone cold) reality.

 

As he is seeing that it is necessary to break the social contract in order to protect the rights of the most, which is the fifth out of six stages in Kohlberg's theory.

Well here's something easy to ask yourself...does Kohlberg's theories mention a long habit of lies, denials, and changing the official stories (each time they were caught)....as part of this highly advanced "morality"?

 

 

Whether the actions Cheney took were illegal or not if he justified them with the logic, "the greatest good for the greatest number of people" then he is actually showing a very high level of morality.

I'm sure a lot of history's quests for people butchering used very similar types of reasoning excuses.

 

A "logically" derived course of (highly questionable) action based on false premises doesn't show a high level of morality, but rather a high level of delusion -- towards yourself and/or to other people.

 

Has that kind of logical fallacy been identified, defined, or categorized yet?

 

If not, I propose...."Illogical Fallacy": hinging on supposed logic that isn't in any way (shape, or form) logical.