Did Dubya watch the Harry Potter movie?
There is a line in the Harry Potter movie, where Harry is told (by the evil one of course) "there is no good or evil, there is only power". Alas, I think this is so true in the real world too. Another way of expressing the same sentiment, I think, is the expression "Might is right".
Whoever is the most powerful, gets to say what is "justified", what is "morally" right. There is no distinction it seems, in practice, between an explanation for an action, and the moral justification for an action. Osama bin Laden apparantly believes it is morally right to kill thousands of innocent people in his cause to right the wrongs which he perceives to be so. George W Bush believes that he, in turn, is morally justified to bomb Afghanistan, killing 100's if not 1000's of innocent people in order to bring bin Laden to justice - that is, kill him. So many people I talk to happily accept Bush's argument, and are even outraged that I think differently. That line of thought says that the end justifies the means.
I find the view understandable, but I can't see how it is morally justified - unless I accept that "there is no good or evil, only power".
There is a line in the Harry Potter movie, where Harry is told (by the evil one of course) "there is no good or evil, there is only power". Alas, I think this is so true in the real world too. Another way of expressing the same sentiment, I think, is the expression "Might is right".
Whoever is the most powerful, gets to say what is "justified", what is "morally" right. There is no distinction it seems, in practice, between an explanation for an action, and the moral justification for an action. Osama bin Laden apparantly believes it is morally right to kill thousands of innocent people in his cause to right the wrongs which he perceives to be so. George W Bush believes that he, in turn, is morally justified to bomb Afghanistan, killing 100's if not 1000's of innocent people in order to bring bin Laden to justice - that is, kill him. So many people I talk to happily accept Bush's argument, and are even outraged that I think differently. That line of thought says that the end justifies the means.
I find the view understandable, but I can't see how it is morally justified - unless I accept that "there is no good or evil, only power".


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