How many innocent people would you be willing to kill?

[katoa]

How many innocent people would you be willing to kill – purely to defend yourself?

For example, let’s say you are well armed and an armed robber is shooting at you – but the robber is holding a hostage directly in front of him.

Or, suppose someone is shooting at you from within a crowd. Maybe some in the crowd don’t like you. Let’s push it even further and say that most of them hate you, and sympathize with the attacker. To shoot back, you would be aiming at the attacker, but you know you would also hit others.

How many of them would you be willing to kill, even absolutely and purely in self-defense?

And then the million dollar question, if you answered none, if it would be wrong to kill even a single innocent person in self-defense, would it be OK to support a government that did so?

[creekster]

Is ti your position that any action that causes an innocent life to be lost is improper?

[katoa]

Is ti your position that any action that causes an innocent life to be lost is improper?

I can't speak for "any action", as perhaps there is some situation that does not come immediately to mind, but it is my heart-felt feeling that it is morally wrong to take an innocent life to protect my own life. And thus, it is morally wrong to give sanction for my government to do what morally I cannot do.

[creekster]

I can't speak for "any action", as perhaps there is some situation that does not come immediately to mind, but it is my heart-felt feeling that it is morally wrong to take an innocent life to protect my own life. And thus, it is morally wrong to give sanction for my government to do what morally I cannot do.

So any action by you would be improper.

Define what you mean by innocent life. For example, if the person is operating under a misapprehension of your status, and you know this, are they innocent if they attack you as a result of the perecption? What if they are attacking due to a disapreement over property rights; you won't share and they disagree about the nature of ownership? Is that person innocent? Or is innocence only as you define it from yourperspecitve and in your moral and political milieu?

[DU Ute]

I checked "more than a few." I'm mot really what you'd call a "people person."

[wuapinmon]

Well, Joseph Fletcher, I'm not just going to stand there with my mouth agape staring at the gunman.

[katoa]

So any action by you would be improper.

Define what you mean by innocent life.

In a situation where I must defend myself, an innocent life (to me) is the life of anyone that is not directly threatening my harm.

[creekster]

In a situation where I must defend myself, an innocent life (to me) is the life of anyone that is not directly threatening my harm.

I added an edit that went in after this post of yours. I asked:

For example, if the person is operating under a misapprehension of your status, and you know this, are they innocent if they attack you as a result of the perecption? What if they are attacking due to a disapreement over property rights; you won't share and they disagree about the nature of ownership? Is that person innocent? Or is innocence only as you define it from yourperspecitve and in your moral and political milieu?

So indirect threats are ok and you must leave them alone?

[mUUser]

I checked "more than a few." I'm mot really what you'd call a "people person."

From Seinfeld:

Elaine: Ugh, I hate people.
Jerry: Yeah, they're the worst.

[katoa]

Good questions.

if the person is operating under a misapprehension of your status, and you know this, are they innocent if they attack you as a result of the perecption?

If they truly had a mistaken belief about me and I knew that, I would choose to not cause significant harm to them, particularly if the misapprehension were caused by anything I had even partial responsibility for.

What if they are attacking due to a disapreement over property rights; you won't share and they disagree about the nature of ownership? Is that person innocent? Or is innocence only as you define it from yourperspecitve and in your moral and political milieu?

So indirect threats are ok and you must leave them alone?

Let me refer you to an article by someone I highly respect that mirrors most of my thoughts on the matter (although he is far more intelligent I).

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard144.html

[BigFatMeanie]

Kill zem, kill zem all before it's too late!

[mUUser]

I can't speak for "any action", as perhaps there is some situation that does not come immediately to mind, but it is my heart-felt feeling that it is morally wrong to take an innocent life to protect my own life. And thus, it is morally wrong to give sanction for my government to do what morally I cannot do.

Would your answer change if it was your spouse or child you were protecting?

[Indy Coug]

Would your answer change if it was your spouse or child you were protecting?

And they were looking to you to protect them and you chose not to and the surviving members of your family had to live with that moment for the rest of their lives?

[il Padrino Ute]

And then the million dollar question, if you answered none, if it would be wrong to kill even a single innocent person in self-defense, would it be OK to support a government that did so?

How many innocents are you willing to allow to die at the hands of others before you would want your government to stop the bad guys?

[FMCoug]

I chose "More than a few" since "all of them" was not available.