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<blockquote data-quote="S'mon" data-source="post: 3438961" data-attributes="member: 463">To me it's important that a Paladin be a force of Law, not of 'pure' Good.&nbsp; I very much dislike moral discussions which look at paladins from a Neutral Good perspective and ignore their Lawful aspect.&nbsp; Paladins should be unwilling to break the Law (including the general moral law) for the utiliitarian Greater Good.&nbsp; Example from Buffy - LG Buffy fights evil, but won't kill human beings.&nbsp; It's against the Law - the Slayers' Law, not just the law of California.&nbsp; She sticks with this even when the likely consequences are very bad.&nbsp; So it's left to NG Giles to kill the human being, for the greater good.I don't think Gygax had a strong understanding of 'lawfulness' when he wrote the 1e PHB Alignment definitions; his LG &quot;greatest good of the greatest number&quot; is straight from Benthamite Utilitarianism, in D&amp;D terms that has to be a NG philosophy.&nbsp; LG is more Kantian, in accordance with the Categorical Imperative - acting in a manner that is consistent with your acts being in accordance with a universal law - although there are plenty of other non-Kantian philosophies that could reasonably be considered LG, but Benthamism, clearly not.&nbsp;&nbsp; Chaos meanwhile is Crowleyan - &quot;Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law&quot;.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="S'mon, post: 3438961, member: 463"] To me it's important that a Paladin be a force of Law, not of 'pure' Good. I very much dislike moral discussions which look at paladins from a Neutral Good perspective and ignore their Lawful aspect. Paladins should be unwilling to break the Law (including the general moral law) for the utiliitarian Greater Good. Example from Buffy - LG Buffy fights evil, but won't kill human beings. It's against the Law - the Slayers' Law, not just the law of California. She sticks with this even when the likely consequences are very bad. So it's left to NG Giles to kill the human being, for the greater good. I don't think Gygax had a strong understanding of 'lawfulness' when he wrote the 1e PHB Alignment definitions; his LG "greatest good of the greatest number" is straight from Benthamite Utilitarianism, in D&D terms that has to be a NG philosophy. LG is more Kantian, in accordance with the Categorical Imperative - acting in a manner that is consistent with your acts being in accordance with a universal law - although there are plenty of other non-Kantian philosophies that could reasonably be considered LG, but Benthamism, clearly not. Chaos meanwhile is Crowleyan - "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law". [/QUOTE]

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