Subjective vs. Objective

I really wish they would teach logic in schools nowadays. I'm not talking about making students into PhDs, or busting out Latin phrases like, "post hoc ergo propter hoc," but just some of the basics of understanding what is sensible and what isn't. Case in point: Monday at the skate park.

One teenager believed heavily that if all the world used psychotropic drugs like LSD, psilobycin, and pot, that everyone would be in harmony. And every time he brought up an argument, he could not understand the logic of what he was saying.

Round 1

Him: "Cannibis is natural, and since God gave it to us, we should use it."

Me: "So your premise is that if something is natural, it is therefore good?"

Him: "Yes."

Me: "So by that logic, why don't we eat the poisonous part of the fugu blowfish?"

Him: "You're not making sense."

Round 2

Him: "Well, even the Bible says they used cannabis to make rope and clothing."

Me: "That would be hemp, which is different than pot, and I don't recall that in the Bible."

Him: "Well, they're of the same species, so that makes it good."

Me: "So by that logic, if something is of a similar species, that makes it good. Why, therefore, don't you eat the nightshade, which is the deadly cousin of the potato?"

Him: "You're not making sense."

Round 3

Him: "Have you ever used drugs like LSD or pot before?"

Me: "No, I haven't. Never will."

Him: "Then you can't comment on it until you've tried it."

Me: "So, by that logic, I cannot comment on murder until I've killed someone, rape until I've raped someone, or cheating on my wife until I've committed adultery."

Him: "You're not making sense."

Round 4

Him: "Drugs are good because the experiences you get shape reality."

Me: "You mean that your subjective experience will alter reality?"

Him: "Yes, it will alter reality for you."

Me: "No, reality shapes your experiences, not the other way around. Reality is objective, experiences are subjective. Reality is in common universally, experiences are not."

Him: "No, they will alter reality for you."

Me: "So if everyone takes drugs and believes that they can fly, will that actually occur?"

Him: "You're not making sense."

Why is it so hard to believe in absolutes today? I blame teachers, partially.