Morality #2

[Ted-Easton]

Illegal activities involving torture/dismemberment and forceful surgery have caused a very useful medical breakthrough.
Human rights groups are attempting to stop use of this new discovery, saying it supports the group who discovered it, and their methods.
Medical personnel are trying to use it, saying it is still useful to them.

What do you think?

[swayside]

At 2/19/03 07:06 AM, Ted_Easton wrote: Illegal activities involving torture/dismemberment and forceful surgery have caused a very useful medical breakthrough.
Human rights groups are attempting to stop use of this new discovery, saying it supports the group who discovered it, and their methods.
Medical personnel are trying to use it, saying it is still useful to them.

What do you think?

that's like not using people because they're from broken homes saying 'it might promote divorce'. i don't know what the proceedure is, but such circumstances shouldn't be a factor.

[TheEvilOne]

Allow medical personnel to use the new discovery, but punish the group that made it. How simple can it get?

[RoboTripper]

Well, if the method has already been discovered and widely known (since you say medical personnel are currently using it) then why not keep using it? How does using the procedure support the illegal group? I don't think I fully understand the question

[Alakazam]

At 2/19/03 07:06 AM, Ted_Easton wrote: Illegal activities involving torture/dismemberment and forceful surgery have caused a very useful medical breakthrough.
Human rights groups are attempting to stop use of this new discovery, saying it supports the group who discovered it, and their methods.
Medical personnel are trying to use it, saying it is still useful to them.

Well, it would be nice to know what exactly what this 'new discovery'is. The problem is, if we use any kind of medical knowledge gained from totured prisoners [or just plain people], then it justifies the use of torture. "Yeah, we tortured him, but look at what we discovered!"

I do not think using techniques that we derived from torture is a terrible thing. I do not support torture, or forced surgery, but the sacrifices of a few can help thousands, even millions. You are turning an unspeakable evil into a greater good.

You could possible argue that this does condone torture and similar techniques. Possibly, but that does not mean the perpetrators should go unpunished and condemned [severly].

You can either punish those who use these techniques on a few and toss their new found knowledge...or, you can punish the criminal and use their knowledge to save magnitudes more.

Pretty? No. Makes sense? I think so.

[JMHX]

At 2/19/03 07:46 AM, TheEvilOne wrote: Allow medical personnel to use the new discovery, but punish the group that made it. How simple can it get?

This is the simple answer. Sadly, morals of people in government positions prevent the simple from ever going through just as that. It's debated and sanctioned and watered-down until there's nothing left but useless trash.

[Nevah73]

It's like enjoying a movie that stars an actor that's an asshole, or later murdered someone. You have to separate the artist from the art. Same deal with the discovery and the doctors.

Assuming that the discovery decreases the overall human suffering of the world...

Scenario 1(use procedure): Suffering increase: Those tortured. Suffering decrease: Billions of people worldwide for ages to come. Net suffering change: GIANT decrease.

Scenario 2(don't use procedure): Suffering increase: The tortured, plus the doctors, plus the people who suffer from whatever condition this would cure. Suffering decrease: Nothing. Net suffering change: GIANT increase.

[JMHX]

At 2/19/03 05:44 PM, Nevah73 wrote: It's like enjoying a movie that stars an actor that's an asshole, or later murdered someone. You have to separate the artist from the art. Same deal with the discovery and the doctors.

Assuming that the discovery decreases the overall human suffering of the world...

Scenario 1(use procedure): Suffering increase: Those tortured. Suffering decrease: Billions of people worldwide for ages to come. Net suffering change: GIANT decrease.

Nice point. Congrats. So many good points that these morals threads bring. They're quite fun to read, too, as there aren't a lot of flaming things in these. Oh, how I love dignified conversation