Why is that star moving? I ask the Owner.

It is not a Star, says the Owner, it is a Satellite.

How did it Get There? I ask.

It was thrown Very Hard and Very High, says the Owner, in Order that it could Circle the Earth Forever.

What is it doing? I ask.

Watching, says the Owner.

Watching What? I ask.

It is almost certainly Watching the Moral Dog, says the Owner.

It Cannot Possibly see me from Up There, I say.

It is said that NASA can see a Moral Dog relieving himself in a London park, says the Owner.

That is Disgusting, I say. What about the Moral Dog’s Right to Privacy? I ask.

The Moral Dog raises an Interesting Question, says the Owner. Many Philosophers see Privacy as a Valuable Concept. Some see Privacy as control over Information about Oneself, while others see it as a broader concept required for Dignity. Yet it is unclear to what extent these types of Privacy still Exist in the Technological World Today, nor the Extent to which they should be preserved.

It is certainly Undignified to think that NASA is watching when the Moral Dog relieves himself in a field, I say. How can such a thing be Justified, I say. The Satellites should be Turned Off, I say.

Sometimes it is Justified for the Greater Good, says the Owner. Sometimes, says the Owner. After all, says the Owner, Privacy is used to hide Things so Terrible that the World should know about them. The Concentration Camps of Xinjiang have been revealed by satellite, as were the Burning Villages of Myanmar and the Illegal Logging in the Amazon. Philosophers point out that Privacy is not only a matter of Dignity, it is a cloak under which one can hide Domination, Degradation, or Physical Harm.

I see, I say. The Owner is speaking of the Trade-off between Personal Freedom and the Common Good, I say. In the Face of such terrible Things, I say, the Moral Dog does not mind if the Satellite really needs to Watch him Relieving Himself in the Park, I say. It seems a Price worth Paying, I say. The Moral Dog has nothing to hide, I say.

That is very Public Spirited of the Moral Dog, says the Owner.

Thankyou, I say.

The Moral Dog was not born yesterday. He knows that the Satellite cannot see when he gets into the Fridge.

Categories: dignity dog dog philosophy

Hergest the Hound

I am a dog of many thoughts.