Silly scenario.

Author: keithprosser

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Suppose you are captured by a man who holds a gun to your head.   He gives you another gun and tells you to kill a random stranger before he counts to 10 or he will kill you.  From his manner you believe him and his gun is right on the back of your head.

So you kill the next guy who comes along, whereupon the gunman says 'thank you' takes his gun back and walks away.

Does a plea of self-defence get you off for murdering an innocent stranger?

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This type of scenario is played out in movies all the time. "Saw" comes to mind. The legal consequences, however, I don't recall seeing.
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@keithprosser
Punishment is only worthwhile if it serves some utility. If there is little chance of a repeat offence then there is little reason to implement a punnishment.
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Or....
Would the one who compelled you to shoot be the murderer?


We need some law whizzes in he'ah.

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@Mopac
Maybe, but lawyers are the last people I'd consider to be authorities on morality!
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@keithprosser
Seems like more of a law issue.

Morally? 

Don't let the threat of death compel you to shoot the gun.





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@Mopac
I'd say it's necessary to sort out the morality then pass or amend the laws accordingly.

i'm not very interested in how the law is now.   I'm interested in what it should be.
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@keithprosser
For me, the only moral thing to do would be to take one for the team. Not shoot.

Likewise, I am in no way guilty if someone were to, as an example, torture a group of people until I do something like apostate. The people who are doing the torturing or evil, and me refusing to give in to their demands does not shift the responsibility to me.




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@Mopac
Selfishness is not immoral but lying is. What is wrong with lying about your apostasy to save others? Does your god know what's in your heart or is it a fool. Your religion, like most, is completely self contradictory.
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@disgusted
I agree.  i'd hand out religious literature in the street to save mopac's life.

of course i'd expect a decent bottle scotch in return!


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@keithprosser
Yeah, it's not hard to be moral it's hard to be moral and accept that infanticide is moral.
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@keithprosser
@disgusted
Both of you have a very different idea of what morality is than I do. 

Really, as neither of you believe in God, morality is not something either of you are capable of discerning. Morality, like most anything, becomes an arbitrary thing that is down to a personal set of aesthetics.

So really, we are in different worlds here.