I am in the same camp as GW on this one as well.
| Back onto Evil's digression: I'm a recovering postmodernist (not recovering so well, alas), so I usually end up thinking both that "a theif's a thief" and that stealing might be OK (or even good) sometimes. OK is something like stealing food from an abundant supply for your starving family. Good is something like stealing all the C4 from your crazy uncle's basement so he can't blow any stuff up and you don't have to get the cops involved. Might be good to steal the keys to the gun cabinet on the way out... |
This is an example of the "human dimension" I mentioned earlier. Terms can be coldly defined, penalties can be legislated, but Justice requires viewing these things as an organic whole, taken in the proper context.
Now, this doesn't mean that I am a moral relativist by any stretch of the imagination...
For instance, are there circumstances when killing another person is morally acceptable? Are there practical consequences for such actions, like stealing from an abundant source to feed your family given as an example above?
In our rush as a society to be "diverse" and "non-judgemental", we (I can only speak for general conditions in the USA) have eliminated any reasonable standards and definitions, leaving the next generation barren of some core moral precepts that we have taken for granted for millenia. It may be true that we are born to a certain degree with a "moral compass", but a compass is only useful when there is a North Pole to be measured against...
While we're digressing, we are also breaking down the protocols for effective communication by allowing language to be rendered meaningless. If we are to be a society founded on the Rule of Law, it would be prudent to maintain a healthy respect for language and the meaning of words, lest we slip into a dictatorship of unelected Judges...
Cheers!
