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>The positive net effects of atrocities?
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You have to admit: that's a keeper!
Put more simply it's an "ends justify the means" argument. India has a rail system, therefore colonialism was good. India has a common language, therefore the millions dead in the victorian holocausts did not die in vain.
Non sequitur piled on top of non sequitur.
What will constitute a step in the direction of moral evolution will be the realization that an immoral act is an immoral act, no matter what the unintended consequence.
If, for example, some scientific breakthrough had come about as a result of scientific experiments done on concentration camp victims, it should not be thrown out because of the way the results were obtained, but it would not exonerate the torture nor would it be a recommendation that future experiments be carried out in a similar manner.
Joanna