# The morality of killing **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 23, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491 "2011-04-23T19:26:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/41 "2011-04-24T14:48:43Z")
Suppose I had a time machine and could go back to Austria when Hitler was an infant. Would I kill him if I could? You better believe I would. No pass because he is an innocent infant. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/42 "2011-04-24T15:25:37Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I voted the same way. I can imagine property that is so important that it will save the lives of a bunch of people. I cannot imagine an animal that has that, especially one that is not property. > > The word “can” allows for a lot of odd scenarios. I just couldn’t come up with one for non-property animals. It seems to me from your explanation that your ultimate justification for murdering another person is saving over lives. It’s not really about the property. If someone asked you why you found the murder justifiable, you’d say because it saved lives, yes? While we’re here, I find it odd that the sum of the percentage of votes for the first and second options isn’t closer to 100. One would think that of the people who think murder can ever be justifiable (not an unreasonable stance at all) would agree on the second option, but here we are. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/43 "2011-04-24T15:43:31Z")
Since I’m in a nitpicking mood, a legally justified killing is not ‘murder’. I can conceive of a few circumstances when actual murder might be justified, though I think they would be situations when the legal system did not believe what the killer claimed for justification. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/44 "2011-04-24T16:21:06Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I voted the same way. I can imagine property that is so important that it will save the lives of a bunch of people. I cannot imagine an animal that has that, especially one that is not property. Name a piece of property that’s more valuable than a human life. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/45 "2011-04-24T17:05:15Z")
Anything I own, down to my box of paperclips, is more valuable than the life of the criminal who attempts to take them. I’m a generous guy with my paperclips, but I see litle wrong with humanity that can’t be cured by a thorough culling. The big reason I don’t actively favor such an action is I know for sure that given human nature, the exact wrong people will get to be the decision makers. Namely the agressive jerks, not the humble civic-minded thoughtful cooperators. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/46 "2011-04-24T19:45:12Z")
Cooperation is Socialism! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/47 "2011-04-24T19:46:02Z")
Fuck it. NM. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/48 "2011-04-24T19:47:12Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Name a piece of property that’s more valuable than a human life. mine ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/49 "2011-04-24T19:47:12Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Name a piece of property that’s more valuable than a human life. For any given human and any given property, infinite possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/50 "2011-04-24T19:50:46Z")
I think I might kill someone who was about to kill my cat. I probably wouldn’t think about it in terms of which like is more valuable, but more the idea that someone who would abuse and kill another person’s pet, and mine in particular, is a scumbag not worth any consideration. Seems an unlikely scenario, though, 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/51 "2011-04-24T19:52:13Z")
I would kill to protect a pet too, but not an inanimate object. That’s just sociopathic. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/52 "2011-04-24T20:00:15Z")
Well, there are a few. I can absolutely see killing someone to prevent them from stealing, or setting off, a nuclear weapon. I can see killing someone who was about to get hold of a gun if I thought they planned to kill someone with it. Or killing someone who was about to steal a vaccine that might otherwise save a bunch of lives. Of course, indirectly all this is still about saving other lives, isn’t it? A thief can have my paperclips. My Swingline stapler, though… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/53 "2011-04-24T20:08:48Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I would kill to protect a pet too, but not an inanimate object. That’s just sociopathic. Then you won’t mind if I come over and burn your house down? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/54 "2011-04-24T20:12:19Z")
Burning a house down is not comparable to just stealing something. Arson actually endangers lives. I have a wife, three children and several pets in my house. I also didn’t say I “wouldn’t mind” if someone stole from me. I said I wouldn’t kill them. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491/55 "2011-04-24T21:17:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > He’s using victim for the person who winds up dead, instead of for the person who feels they need to defend themselves. And since that person is the one who is actually doing the killing, they are the actor. > > I admit it’s unusual to frame it in that way, but it does make sense. Oh, so the victim is also the potential perp then. Got it, I just couldn’t get my brain wrapped around the juxtaposition of the two different concepts being the same person. Yeesh! thanks 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-morality-of-killing/579491.md?page=2)