A:
Well, you should be proud.
B:
I have big issues with the concept of "pride", though. It seems like sort of definitionally, all my choices are a product of you know, Nature and Nurture, plus my environment or whatever, and all three of those are totally beyond my control. So I don't think I can be proud of anything. I can't be proud that my parents raised me well, you know, or that I have a lot of brain genes.
A:
So your parents can be proud of you, though?
B:
Yeah, because they raised me. They can indirectly sort of take credit for the Nature part, and directly take credit for the Nurture part. So they can be proud they did a good job raising me, sure.
A:
But if you can't be proud of your own actions, because they are a combination of factors you don't have control over, why can your parents be proud of you?
B:
What do you mean?
A:
If you can't be proud of studying hard, because it's a factor of your parents giving you "study genes" and teaching you the importance of studying hard, why can your parents be proud of raising you well? Their actions were just a combination of THEIR parents giving them "raising kids well" genes and teaching them the importance of raising children well.
B:
It recurses!
A:
The base case is God! The Prime Mover!
C:
Hey guys! I have a virtually identical argument with the same conclusion, but it's based on a naturalistic view of the universe not allowing free will! It's the same argument with the same conclusion, but at a lower level of abstraction!
A:
!!!
B:
!!!
C:
I know, right?! I bet this argument has been discovered and rediscovered tens of thousands of times throughout human history!
D:
I bet that if any of you guys had taken even an Introduction to Philosophy class, you'd all be way less impressed with yourselves right now.