Clarification of Nagel's Argument
Nagel's argument is that people are breaking social taboos in the name of liberal advancement. People are moving past boundaries, which although leads to more tolerance and diversification of culture sometimes end up in the moral degradation observed in the society. He feels that the situation is falling out of control and that the standards of previous years are no longer observed. Sophisticated mannerisms and respect of public space are factors that are seldom observed leading to poor relations among people. Things that people considered private are presented to the public eye shamelessly. Nagel argues that these changes are a point of concern since they worsen the standing of society.
Parts that Need Clarification
It should be clear about what ought to be kept private and what is appropriate for people to do in public. For a person born in a different generation, as it has happened over the years, culture keeps evolving and moral standards also change the culture. A clear outline of the appropriateness of different actions would go a long way towards boosting tolerance within the society.
Parts that was hard to Understand
The issue of collective consideration in deciding what should be kept private and what should be made public is difficult to understand. It is because different actions result in different results. Therefore, it is hard to understand why one would make collective consideration of so many diverse factors.
It is also not understandable how reticence enables interaction. An encounter involving Maggie, a prince, and a broken bowl is provided to push for the value of reticence, but in this narration, the enabling factor in reticence barely comes out. Furthermore, it is quite obvious that it is very difficult to solve a problem when everybody is silent.
