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Ethics of Killing Vat Spawn?
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<blockquote data-quote="Steampunkette" data-source="post: 8360247" data-attributes="member: 6796468"><p>Okay... so first things first? The Philosophical Zombie is a thought experiment that has been around way longer than I have. Changing it to be "And he's a murderer" pretty much negates the intent by adding a whole other layer of Self-Defense/Defense of Others to it. So it no longer works... But.</p><p></p><p>So you've got that person who kills everyone over 60 he sees.</p><p></p><p>Is it moral to kill him when he has done nothing, yet? Is it moral to kill him because he poses a -potential- danger? Is it inherently "More" moral to just keep him away from 60 year olds for the duration of his life?</p><p></p><p>And then there's the other aspect of evil as a D&D Alignment:</p><p>Evil doesn't mean stupid. Evil doesn't mean mindlessly foolishly violent.</p><p></p><p>An evil person may never commit a crime or evil transgression, but still be a hateful cuss who is, at his core, evil. Is it moral to kill this person? If he had the -option- to kill you or maim you without repercussion he would. He'd do terrible things if he knew he could get away with it. But he's a coward and in a position where he can't.</p><p></p><p>Which also leads into another philosophical question: Can something which has no ability to make moral choices -be- evil? A rabbit will eat her ENTIRE LITTER if she's stressed out. Infanticide across the entire family. Is the rabbit evil for doing something we'd all consider an evil action? Generally we recognize that rabbits aren't evil, they're just "unaligned". Wouldn't it be the same for a creature that -cannot choose- to be good?</p><p></p><p>Annnnd... again. Ham Sandwich. Even if "It's just a game!" or "It's not real!" it still reinforces the idea that people CAN be evil as a 'race' or group, independent of their actual actions, justifying even the slaughter of babies 'cause eventually they'll also be evil.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Steampunkette, post: 8360247, member: 6796468"] Okay... so first things first? The Philosophical Zombie is a thought experiment that has been around way longer than I have. Changing it to be "And he's a murderer" pretty much negates the intent by adding a whole other layer of Self-Defense/Defense of Others to it. So it no longer works... But. So you've got that person who kills everyone over 60 he sees. Is it moral to kill him when he has done nothing, yet? Is it moral to kill him because he poses a -potential- danger? Is it inherently "More" moral to just keep him away from 60 year olds for the duration of his life? And then there's the other aspect of evil as a D&D Alignment: Evil doesn't mean stupid. Evil doesn't mean mindlessly foolishly violent. An evil person may never commit a crime or evil transgression, but still be a hateful cuss who is, at his core, evil. Is it moral to kill this person? If he had the -option- to kill you or maim you without repercussion he would. He'd do terrible things if he knew he could get away with it. But he's a coward and in a position where he can't. Which also leads into another philosophical question: Can something which has no ability to make moral choices -be- evil? A rabbit will eat her ENTIRE LITTER if she's stressed out. Infanticide across the entire family. Is the rabbit evil for doing something we'd all consider an evil action? Generally we recognize that rabbits aren't evil, they're just "unaligned". Wouldn't it be the same for a creature that -cannot choose- to be good? Annnnd... again. Ham Sandwich. Even if "It's just a game!" or "It's not real!" it still reinforces the idea that people CAN be evil as a 'race' or group, independent of their actual actions, justifying even the slaughter of babies 'cause eventually they'll also be evil. [/QUOTE]
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