Kill em all

Luke Weiger lweiger at umich.edu
Thu Dec 5 19:08:28 PST 2002


Justin wrote:


>Deliberate indifference, which is what I claimed made
>no moral difference.

You made your claim sloppily, then, because this is what you wrote: "I really think it matters morally if these deaths are due to deliberate intent to kill or just to deliberate indifference -- not caring whether the policies kill." Apparently you meant to say that "I really don't think..." Or maybe you were employing irony.


> In fact, more than D.I. In law, knowledge that your action is
substantially likely to
> result in taking human life is equivalent to intent.

Failing to provide foreign aid in excess of the puny amounts currently allotted results in far more deaths than economic sanctions. Does that constitute "deliberate indifference"?


> Well, you can defend Halfbrighta nd the US foreignb
> policy crew before God's great judgment seat. "Lord,
> it's true they knew theyw ere killing millions.

I haven't read any credible account attributing "millions" of deaths to US sanctions. What, are hundreds of thousands not dramatic enough?


>But they didn't strictly intend to do it. If they could
> have kept their money and power without the deaths,

Keeping "money and power" had nothing to do with sanctions so far as I can see.


> they'd rather have done it that way. But they
> couldn't. Surely that's worth something. They were
> better in their hears than Osama bin Laden and
> Slodoban Milosovic, don't you agree Lord, even if what
> they did was worse?

You're the one who believes in moral responsibility.


> Why assume that? Maybe they did not seek to maximize
> casualties,a s they might have by striking a few hours
> later. On the assumprtion that people have reasons for
> what they do, maybe they sought to kill the minimum
> number of people consistent with their goals.

Bin Laden rejoiced in the unexpectedly large amount of destruction. I doubt limiting civilian casualties was among Al Qaeda's considerations.


> But it's a more rational assumption than
> gauging the threat by what might have happened but
> didn't.

We gauge the level of a threat by "what might have happened but didn't" all the time. Otherwise, we wouldn't lock people up for attempted murder.

-- Luke



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