What Is Morality?

[ihaveanappforthat]

Morality. Must the ends of something justify the means? Is it morally acceptable to kill one to save many? Is killing wrong regardless of the outcome?

The line between right and wrong can be muddied rather easily.

All this talk about book privileges is boring, let's talk about something interesting.

Comments

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[3potionproblem]

What happened to staying off their radar?

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[ihaveanappforthat]

I said you should.

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[3potionproblem]

And I'm suddenly the more visible of the two?

[thesmallesttrickster]

The death of one to save many is a justifiable act I think, as is the death of many for the lives of many more.

[ihaveanappforthat]

So if someone had a group of people and told you to kill one of them or they all die, would you?

[doctorkishitani]

When you think on it, this question is related to the book privileges issue. After all, the question of whether the ends justify the means comes up quite a bit where research practices are concerned.

[ihaveanappforthat]

No, it's not. It's related to morality. The book issue is not questioning deontology nor utilitarianism.

[actuallyspeakslatin]

I think that the end justify the means and that the good of the man outweigh the good of the few.

[ihaveanappforthat]

You would kill others to save many?

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[thegluethatbinds]

I'd say it depends on the situation. The ends could justify the means, but once you sacrifice your morals and believes for that end, then you've probably lost the reason for choosing that end in the first place.

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[ihaveanappforthat]

Speaking from experience?

So you think if you do something wrong for a greater cause, you're wrong?

[adust]

Isn't this boring too?

[ihaveanappforthat]

I don't think so.

[heartwrenching]

Yeah, yeah, this talk of morality's got me excited! My heart's all a-flutter here! Not enough people think about this stuff - and I mean really really REALLY think about it, think about it hard until their head's aching and practically filled with mental smoke that won't clear (can't ever possibly clear!) - but I do!

People make too much of a fuss about morality when there's just no such thing on a world scale! We're all different, right, different people with different lives and different histories in different places in different moments in time! It's all different! God, all the impossible, damnable differences are making my head spin! There's so much of it that it unites us, makes us all one!

So that's how you get people like me who aren't too keen on personally committing murder, who don't see the point or joy in it, but can and do truly adore some who really, really do.

[ihaveanappforthat]

All a-flutter. I do rather enjoy hearing that!

So your view on murder is neutral when it comes to others but you don't like it?

[marshall_lee]

I always thought that a persons morality is shaped by how they were raised, what kind of life they've led and what kind of personal belief system they have in place. Morality itself varies too much to be defined I think.
Then you add in the factors of a persons life experience and that can also alter their morality. A persons morality can change depending on what they go through in life.

[ihaveanappforthat]

What do you think about those that lack all morality?

[3houseswatson]

I really don't like your wording. Or your basic premise.

Of course it's wrong to kill one person to save many. The only way I can see that being even a remotely decent option is if the person who dies has willingly sacrificed themselves to save the others.

[ihaveanappforthat]

Then I think it must be a fortunate thing I wasn't writing to impress you, wouldn't you say?

So you agree with a deontological view. If you were kidnapped and other students - first years- were there, the kidnapper, a Death Eater, told you you must kill one of the first years for you all to survive otherwise you all die, you wouldn't?

I'm late into forever

[catblog]

Killing is wrong no matter what. I don't want to believe that killing one life to save many is just right no matter what. There's got to be some other way to save everyone.

[Trying to be optimistic here]

[ihaveanappforthat]

So you'd let others die, knowing you could have saved many even if it meant killing one?

[nunganunga_k_o]

Well...it'd be sort of rude to sacrifice that one for everyone else, wouldn't it? You'd have to at least tell them. If they made the choice themselves, they'd probably be more willing.

[ihaveanappforthat]

So you would tell them you are going to kill them before doing? That would make taking a life okay?

[pomodoroo]

Well killing Voldemort sure was for the benefit of all of us. If someone is being a shitty enough person to cause so much death, I don't see why they shouldn't be taken care of.

[ihaveanappforthat]

What makes someone a shitty person?