Saturday, March 31, 2012

Accepting Ignorance on Suicide Justice

"What would justice for Lizzy Seeberg look like? I don’t really know; I’m asking. To what extent does your opinion depend on the templates you have in your head that help you explain the world to yourself? Templates about race, sex, religion, loyalty, sports, and tribalism, I mean."
(Via.)

For the latter question, it will become obvious as I answer the former.

What a civilized society would do is whatever results in fewer future sexual assaults and suicides. It would do whatever minimizes both, and then make sure it isn't trading fewer assaults for more suicides.

It would not punish anyone for the sake of punishing them. It would never, ever trade more suicides for more 'justice.'

Having found this minimum, then it would call whatever it is doing 'justice.'

So really I don't know either. But I know how you could find out, if you truly care about justice.


I personally have some additional conditions about not harming innocents due to the actions of third parties - I would trade more suicides for harming fewer innocents - but these can be got around by contracts, so the point is generally moot.

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