{"id":1044,"date":"2001-10-22T08:02:07","date_gmt":"2001-10-22T13:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/?p=1044"},"modified":"2001-10-22T08:02:07","modified_gmt":"2001-10-22T13:02:07","slug":"ethics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2001\/10\/22\/ethics.html","title":{"rendered":"Ethics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ethics<\/b><\/p>\n

In keeping with my advice below, I went and caught up with some of Vogt’s columns. One interesting column<\/a> posits that we, as a country, have crossed a significant ethical line from deontology <\/i>(right\/wrong are based on some principle other than the results) to consequentialism (“the ends justify the means”) or utilitarianism (“the greatest good for the greatest number”).<\/p>\n

He uses as the flashpoint for this the formal recognition that US fighter jets might have to shoot down a civilian jetliner in order to avoid greater casualties. He makes some interesting observations about “hypothetical” vs. “real” lives\/deaths.<\/p>\n

I feel safe in saying that until Sept. 11, President George Bush would have planted his feet squarely in the deontological camp, as would most people who are as devoted to Biblical teaching as he is. Had you asked him on Sept. 10 whether it was morally acceptable to directly kill 100 innocent Americans for the possibility of saving a greater number of people, he most likely would have told you it was not. This is the “pro-life” position, to which the president says he subscribes.
\nNow, even dedicated pro-life adherents and other deontologists can justify the taking of “innocent” life through a variety of methods. … In the current situation involving the possible shooting down of an airliner, we have a discrete group of real people, whom we are willing to not only sacrifice but actually kill directly in order to possibly save a larger group of hypothetical people. The fact that the country has not only endorsed, but adopted, such a policy has crossed an ethical divide of mammoth proportions. We are admitting, as a country, that sometimes the end does justify the means.<\/p>\n

This change is made clearer in the support in the US for the current military campaign in Afghanistan. Most people are willing to accept a degree of collateral damage (civilian deaths) toward the greater end of stopping the evil of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. There are still plenty of people saying that violence and war are, per se, wrong, but they are, at least at present, a minority. As InstaPundit <\/a>might describe it, the soccer moms are more interested in the ends of safety for their kids than what the means are to achieve it.<\/p>\n

As with all such matters, I take a firmly middle-of-the-road attitude (along with the rest of the squashed squirrels). Taking either stand as an absolute leads one to some terrible positions. <\/p>\n

Most of us think that there are actions, stands, moral principles that are, in and of themselves, right and good. But that’s often oversimplistic. Judging actions in a vacuum, without considering their foreseeable consequences, seems antithetical to responsibility. It’s the MO of a bureaucracy, where it matters not how just or reasonable or urgent your desire is — all that is important is that the rules are followed, the forms filled out, the correct approvals signed off. It’s the philosophy that allows one to say that life is all-important, rather than quality of life — that abortion and doctor-assisted suicide are not only wrong, but are not even debatable, regardless of the circumstances or what it will mean to all of the players.<\/p>\n

So we all allow our ends to justify our means, to some degree. And yet, when we look at a consequentialist or utilitarian way of thinking, we all recognize that there are lines we should not cross, even for what seem to be wonderful, ultimate goals. At some point, quality of life decisions become Nazi-like. Certainly those who flew the planes into the WTC and Pentagon believed that their ends justified their means (indeed, made their means holy and right). The US backing of the mujahadeen <\/i>against the Soviets was driven by the Cold War goals of defeating Communism, regardless of what had to be done to accomplish it. Today, driving toward the ends of safety <\/i>might mean we sacrifice something we value just as much (freedom<\/i>), without realizing it. And vice-versa. <\/p>\n

Fanatics of all stripes, I suppose, could be said to be firm believers in one or the other of these ways of conduct. But it’s a messy world out there. Means and ends are wrapped up together like a brier patch. Ignore one or the other, and you’re going to get more than scratched, you’re going to get torn apart. <\/p>\n

Remember, if it were easy, everyone could do it.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, read the article. Again, good stuff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ethics In keeping with my advice below, I went and caught up with some of Vogt’s columns. One interesting column posits that we, as a country, have crossed a significant…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,9,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-geopolitical-brouhaha","category-politics-law","category-religion"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44415,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/08\/17\/on-the-economics-and-politics-and-ethics-of-owning-a-language.html","url_meta":{"origin":1044,"position":0},"title":"On the economics — and politics and ethics — of owning a language","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 17-Aug-14 3:08pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Okay, so, yeah, this is pretty fascinating stuff. \u00a0My inclination is to say, \"Huh, well, yeah, interesting request,\u00a0Tasmanian Aboriginal Center, but you can't (and, to my mind shouldn't) be able to copyright a language.\" \u00a0But there may also be some privilege issues there, too, that are blinding me to some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2274,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2002\/07\/17\/solutions.html","url_meta":{"origin":1044,"position":1},"title":"Solutions","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 17-Jul-02 1:42pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Carlton Vogt writes on ethics in InfoWorld.com. In his 12 July column, he discusses the current corporate scandals, and makes an interesting observation: As I write this, the Bush administration...","rel":"","context":"In "Politics & Law"","block_context":{"text":"Politics & Law","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":133671,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/06\/13\/trump-has-a-third-emoluments-ethics-law-suit-filed-against-him.html","url_meta":{"origin":1044,"position":2},"title":"Trump has a third emoluments \/ ethics law suit filed against him","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 13-Jun-17 10:51pm","format":false,"excerpt":"This one is from nearly 200 Democratic congresscritters, arguing that they have been unconstitutionally prevented from ruling whether Trump can accept various economic benefits from foreign governments. Trump's unilateral decision as to what he needs to do to act in an \"ethical\" fashion (retain ownership of everything, but have his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1267,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2002\/02\/04\/enron_and_ethic.html","url_meta":{"origin":1044,"position":3},"title":"Enron and ethics","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 4-Feb-02 8:53am","format":false,"excerpt":"Carlton Vogt, ethics columnist for InfoWorld, has some good thoughts on the Enron scandal and how it occured. The danger in analyzing this particular scandal is that we can be...","rel":"","context":"In "Fourth Estate"","block_context":{"text":"Fourth Estate","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/fourth-estate"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31981,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/31\/im-shocked-shocked-to-discover-congress-doesnt-want-its-ethics-inves.html","url_meta":{"origin":1044,"position":4},"title":"I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to discover Congress doesn't want its ethics inves…","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 31-Dec-12 10:34am","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to discover Congress doesn't want its ethics investigatedAnd I'm absolutely certain that if this office is closed down, it will be solely to save money and reduce bureaucracy, right? \u00a0Right? \u00a0(h\/t +Wendy Cockcroft)Reshared post from +Glenard MunsonHmmmm....publicly, both parties say they like it, while privately, they all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1918,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2002\/04\/09\/beef_its_whats.html","url_meta":{"origin":1044,"position":5},"title":"Beef — It’s What’s for Dinner","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 9-Apr-02 12:57pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's an interesting New York Times Magazine article on the life of a steer in today's beef industry. 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