How much are your high principles worth?

Question

a line from the film "Remains of the Day". What are you willing to sacrifice to maintain your high principles...your job, your life?

Answer 1

i haven't actually encountered that situation yet. but if i do, i think it would have to cost practicality. if my principles are at the expense of being practical, i think ill give in to being practical given that what i am giving up to is not evil. i think ill give in only at the first time and learn from it. if the stakes are too high, i won't give in ever again. i think. maybe i'd end up being poor or dieing. i don't know yet. i haven't tried. and i hope that im not ignorant enough to go through life's choices so blindly and reach that state.

Answer 2

i would sacrifice a job...maybe my life...becuase if i have to live a life that doesn't involve the things i believe in like freedom and love then it really not worth living...it depends on which one of my principles are at stake

Answer 3

I don't have any high principles, other than "don't do anything f**ked up." I guess that sort of qualifies.

Yes, I would rather die than do something f**ked up. Well, maybe if it was just a little f**ked up I would only sacrifice a little to avoid doing it.

Answer 4

this involves a confusion

principles are what a person runs their life on, they are general principles for the pursuit of happiness

since happiness is everyone's everything [by definition] correct principles come under pursuit of happiness,

therefore to maintain principles at expense of life would be nonsense - would be contradiction - would be maintaining something for the pursuit of happiness by sacrificing life, which is the ground of the pursuit of happiness

it would be being rigid about principles and defeating the purpose of the principles, which is maximisation of happiness, which obviously requires life

further, it cannot be a sacrifice, to maintain correct principles of pursuit of happiness - to sacrifice correct principles of happiness would be sacrifice of the possibility of pursuing happiness, ie, would be the sacrifice of everything

principles that have become separate and distinct from principles for the pursuit of happiness, which is the aim of life, are corrupt and erroneous

one could sacrifice some part of happiness to maintain incorrect principles, but it is impossible to sacrifice correct principles of happiness - there could be no good reason to do so, since happiness is by definition everyone's everything, the aim of every life

if one chose to leave a job rather than break one's principles, it could not be a sacrifice, it would have to be a gain in happiness - the ultimate principle is maximisation of happiness, of life fulfillment

to leave a job and suffer decline of happiness to maintain principles, which are supposed to serve happiness, would be nonsense

one could sacrifice one's life if one knew that one definitely had other lives - then a loss of life could still be a gain in happiness - but without that certainty, it is impossible to maintain pursuit of happiness without a life, so one would never sacrifice life for principles, which principles must be subordinate to pursuit of happiness, the overarching, supreme principle

[principles are necessarily general, and do not cover all particular cases, and have to be judged in terms of whether it looks like they are going to be good, achieve greater happiness in each particular case - so not using the principle in a particular case is not necessarily abandoning the principle]

if someone is sacrificing job or life to principles, ie, suffering a diminution of happiness in order to maintain principles, it is a confusion: putting principles above happiness, which is a nonsense - it is saying: these are my principles, and i will suffer anything rather than abandon them - but it would be mad not to abandon principles that dont work, that dont tend to increase of happiness - the principles are subordinate to happiness, not happiness subordinate to principles

that is not to say that one should stay in a job that involves compromise of principles - it just means that staying in the job is departing from principles of ataaining happiness

but i fear i am unable to be clear with the words available to me at the moment - i suspect i may be misunderstood

but perhaps i convey my meaning correctly

Answer 5

I've heard a saying: those who don't have ideas have principles.

I hope I'm not into priciple things and I don't want to sacrifice anything to it.

Answer 6

Yes and yes.

My morality, this path of morals I've chosen to live my life by, are worth dying for, which I believe, is the ultimate sacrifice.

They're worth dying for, because, they're worth living for.

Answer 7

Living your life following your own principals makes you feel good about yourself. I think this is worth more than most anything else.

Answer 8

A life worth living should be sacrificed for a worthy death.

Answer 9

Everything, especially integrity and reponsibility and health. They make me the successful man I am today and for the rest of my life.

Answer 10

Sometimes, they're just a tequila shot away. Nah, jus kidding but maybe two.