Forwarded: human rights / culture

Lief M. Hendrickson (hendrick@NOSC.MIL)
Sat, 31 Dec 1994 00:32:20 PST

> = Dec 29 posting by Bjorn Fry

>Please don't read more into my words than what I wrote. Constructive means
>constructive. If you or anyone else can make a reasonable case for an
>alternative position, I would consider that to be constructive too.
-----------------
O.K. but it seemed that you only wanted constructive in the
sense of supporting your premises, so let's move on.


>This doesn't make sense to me. If there are three hoods who go on a killing
>spree and only one survives, subsequent to a shootout with police, are you
>saying that the surviving murderer shouldn't go to trial because the group
>had already suffered enough?
-----------------
No. I merely said there was no sense in going after a group that
no longer existed. In the above example, of course, the
surviving murderer should go on trial.


>Now, from what I understand, a corporation is considered to be a single
>entity (like an individual).
------------------
Yes, a single entity, similar to an individual but not exactly.
A partnership would have been a better example. In a general
partnership, all the partners are held accountable.


>Can Mom and Pop be put
>in jail for what Junior perpetrates if their only connection to the crime
>was that they were the parents?
------------------
In some cases yes. Don't see what you're geting at here.


>The examples you give are of the deviants who infringe on the rights of
>other individuals.
------------------
Deviants as viewed by some, possibly heros as viewed by their
peers. Consider organized crime.


>At the beginning of this thread, considerable efforts were made
>to address the problems associated with taking a relativist position.
------------------
Maybe this is the real issue here- relativism vs. subjectivism.
With regard to moral values, are you making a case that different
moral standards exist for different people, different societies,
and different historical periods. Or do you really intend to
advocate moral absolutism?


>But don't fail them or yourself when
>they come to you asking to learn how to fish.
-----------------
Sounds good if there are enough fish in the ocean. Many areas
are getting depleted. (Sorry, I know that's not what you
meant!).