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Originally Posted by davem
So, is promoting 'racial hatred' objectively wrong, or are you simply seeking to impose your interpretation on others, & force them to live by your standards?
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I'm not saying that it is objectively wrong (although I do not preclude the possibility). It is sufficient for me that it is the standard of the society within which I live, and one which I agree with and adhere to.
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Originally Posted by davem
You seem to be saying that there is some objective standard of right & wrong by which the behaviour of individuals should be judged. If so, can one not argue that there is a 'right' & a 'wrong' interpretation of a work of fiction?
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No. It does not necessarily follow. When an individual behaves in a way which impacts upon others within society, society necessarily has the right to determine whether such behaviour is right or wrong. It has (and can have) no such right to judge in the case of a personally held interpretation of a work of fiction.
What I am saying is that the only way that a work of fiction can have any meaning is by reference to its meaning to an individual reader. A degree of objectivity may be acheived where there is some consensus. But it can never be universally applicable. Societal standards are, however, universally applicable, either because they are enshrined within laws or because it is the consensus of society that all members should abide by them.