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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Izerath" data-source="post: 1781381" data-attributes="member: 6743">Ooh goody - one of my favorite topicsIn the original question, if the PC is Lawful, than he should follow the societies laws, even if they go against his current beliefs. Thus killing the pedophile is a chaotic act in the fact that its not lawful. A LG character would have tried to capture the offender and turn him over to authorities. A LN character would capture him, but may hurt him if it is necessary to bring him in. A LE character may catch the guy, beat him to within an inch of his last breath, then turn him in. In all cases, he should not have killed him.Now, how do I conclude this?Ethics and Morality: That's the central theme to the Law/Chaos and Good/Evil scenario.The funny thing is that Ethics are BASED on morality.Per Webster's, Ethics are a system of moral principles; the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of actions or a particular group, culture, etc.So if you really want to get crazy, think about this. What kind of laws would an evil society write?  or what about a chatoic one?Here's an example. Now be careful, don't cross the politics line in your replies. I am just using this as an example of how you can try to interpret things using a real world example.The US Bill of Rights was a statement of freedoms for the people - A code of conduct endorsing free will and self-determination, and thus it defined an ethical code of conduct based in the principles of "freedom first." You have the right to bear armsYou have the right to free speechYou have the right to worship as you please.This is basically the law to preserve personal FREEDOM (chaos). Now ironically, our forefathers were also very religious. Again - don't cross the line. This is just an example for demonstration. The Ten Commandments.Thou shalt not kill.Thou shalt not commit adultery.Thou shalt not covet....I could go on, but the key point I am making is the commandments prohibit behavior. (i.e. NOT)This is law to impose structured ORDER (law). Now both ethical codes above are rooted in good. Neither one condones the harming of another, but neither one lists any sort of punishment either. They are the general tenets by which societies live.One of the basic reasons the US has lasted so long is that the core ethical principles it was based upon are rooted in maintaining freedom. Contrary to that is the constant fight to prohibit other people's behaviors in keeping with the principle "for the common good." This assumes that the common good is greater than the rights of the individual and many times the common good is defined not by the society, but by a few influential members of that society.Maintaining this fine balance between these two aspects is why the US has lasted this long. Eventually, it'll have to clean house and rewrite or toss out obselete laws, but time has shown Americans are more likely to just ignore the laws which no longer apply by not enforcing them. The US government is in constant conflict with itself, trying to respect personal freedom yet protect its citizens for the common good.A true Darwinian would be chaotic, in that only the strong survive.  Another way to say it would be that people have the right to disobey the law to survive, and will have to live with the consequences should they get caught. On the other hand, many organizations go out of their way to protect the weak and provide help for the general good. These are nebulous examples of the many clashing forces we often see in the headlines of the news every day.Now generally speaking, I would say most Americans are reflections of this very struggle, and thus in the middle, or Neutral good. I say this because they follow the laws, but if they are inconvenient or are contrary to their personal morality, they may bend or break them. Activists tend towards one pole of the spectrum or the other. Speeding is the perfect example. Speeding is socially acceptable "so long as you don't get caught." Murder on the other hand is persecuted without hesitation because it infringes on another's right to live.Ironic? It certainly makes you wonder. If you want to see the contrasts, take a look at Saudi society, or in another light, China. Look at from what morality their society is rooted and then look at how it has evolved. You can even look in periods of US history to see how it evolved from a people bent on protected our freedoms to one bent on protecting the common good. You'll be surprised at what you find and it should certainly enlighten you to the complexities of alignment. BTW, this is the very reason some people abhor alignment. Sorry if I offended, but hopefully I was entertaining at the least and inspirational ot the most.So now, how would you define a LE society?</blockquote>

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