jerrymander’s Recent Comments

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  Definitions and Denominations

  I agree with Jayo.

  We can quibble over definitions of "murder", "veganism", and other terms, thereby missing the point only to be pedantic. There are well over 20,000 denominations of Christianity (see the Catholic Encyclopedia) because of disputes over definitions. We don't need 20,000 denominations of vegans or classifications of murder.

  Murder is the intentional killing of another. Presently, the legal definition adds the requirment of a homocide - a human victim. But legal definitions do not conclude the question, as legal definitions are woefully subject to politics and prejudice. Remember that the law once called women, children, and other minorities "property", and the law currently calls corporations "persons". What is the legal definition of a "terrorist", and is it a definition mired in politics?

  The laws can be wrong.

  Claiming that nonhumans cannot be murdered because they are not human is a definition of convenience.

  Imagine if Spock came to Earth, and someone killed him. Would the killer not be a murderer because Spock is not human? The race of the victim is irrelevant.

  We should not be in the practice of using our membership in the human species as a license to exploit and murder members of other species. Just because we make the laws does not mean that we make the rules. Human prejudice against other beings is institutional, so most people don't recognize it, and I understand that, but institutional prejudice is not justifiable.

  We should not call oursleves moral because our victims are not humans. We should call ourselves moral because we consider the interests of ourselves and others, and act in the best interest of everyone affected.

  -JerryOn Can you 'murder' a chicken? posted 3 years, 2 months ago 25 Responses