Friday, October 12, 2007

Updating the Seven Deadly Sins

So, Kerry's teaching a course looking philosophically at the seven deadly sins -- greed, lust, pride, happy, sleepy, dopey, and doc -- those ways of being that give one a propensity for acting in unacceptable ways. He asked a great question the other day, "Does the list need updating?" So, I want to throw it open.

I'd start by removing sloth, but I'm too lazy to come up with a good argument for it right now.

I would add dehumanization. It is so easy to take those who disagree with us politically, those who look different than we do, those who speak a different language, or who fall in love with people we would never fall in love with, and make them out to be less than fully human. This leads to a withholding of empathy and that is the opening of a Pandora's box morally, socially, and politically.

So, independent of theological concerns, just looking at the moral ramifications, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, pride, sloth, envy, any of these overblown and should be removed? Have any add-vice on what else might go on the list in terms of those proclivities that lead to less than desirable action?