This Frog Croaks Wisdom

Posted on January 21, 2006 in Crosstalk Occupation of Iraq Terrorism

Rana writes thoughtfully about whether it is worth killing 18 people to get one bad guy in a way that I had not considered before. Is this so different from the question of whether to shoot a bipolar screaming that he has a bomb in a butt pack or whether to execute a sufferer of post-partum depression who believes that she must drown her children to save them from demons?:

In many ways this echoes the dynamics and problems with the “Is torture ever justified?” question. Similarly, it is possible to escalate the variables until the respondent has to answer in the affirmative. Similarly, simply answering the question means buying into the questioner’s value system, a set of values that considers torture an acceptable addition to the anti-terrorist toolkit instead of a moral abomination beyond the pale in any and all circumstances. If you believe in the latter, the only response you can make to that question and maintain your integrity is to refuse to engage with the questioner at all. The same applies here: if you do not believe that the loss of innocent lives is ever acceptable, or if you believe that the situation demands solutions more nuanced than a bomb, you can’t answer the question without simultaneously compromising your position, even if you answer “no.”

This war on terrorism kills and creates fear. Why can’t we solve these issues as police matters like we do the far more devastating casualties resulting from, say, highway injuries?

(Uh oh. That question does less to bring you to my value system than to bring me to closed circle discussions about the justifications for this war.)