Can murder be justified?

[Hatch]

are there any circumstances when it is Ok to kill someone?

 

I think that there are, but then again my standards are low and probably not the same as everyone elses.

 

If you killed someone out of necessity, could you sleep at night afterwards.

[pap]

The law reckons self-defence is a good enough reason.

[stu0x]

No - because by definition, justifiable homicide isn't murder.

[buctootim]

Depends on how developed your moral reasoning is. The Heinz Dilemma of psychologist Laurence Kohlberg is similar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development#Heinz_dilemma

[Turkish]

What have thy done to you?

[Matthew Le God]

are there any circumstances when it is Ok to kill someone?

 

As others have said, if in self defence from serious harm then yes. But I'd expand that further to include the defence of other innocent people from serious harm.

[Bobbyboy]

Is this another thread about Guly?

[swannymere]

Have you ever tried teaching an old person to use a smart phone? Murder can be justified.

[Big Bad Bob]

are there any circumstances when it is Ok to kill someone?.

 

If the murderee is your Father-in-law and they're living with you then, yes, it is OK

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

'Murder' is the wrong word. A murder is the illegal act of killing someone, and most contain both the mens rea and actus reas (the mental state and physical act) to ensure murder is committed. If either are missing then murder has not been committed (see manslaughter etc).

 

But yes, there are circumstances when killing someone is justifiable.

[pap]

I do love how it isn't murder if the state says it's ok.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

I do love how it isn't murder if the state says it's ok.

 

But that is the definition of murder surely? Murder is the state recognised act of an illegal killing.

[CB Saint]

Yesterday I would have said no, however I am halfway through my first day back at work and the answer is a resounding yes. Kill, maim,.....

[stu0x]

I do love how it isn't murder if the state says it's ok.

Im not sure if you're trying to be facetious or something, but that is true of anything. It's not theft to take someone else's property if the state says its okay, for example. That's sort of how a legal system works.

[pap]

Im not sure if you're trying to be facetious or something, but that is true of anything. It's not theft to take someone else's property if the state says its okay, for example. That's sort of how a legal system works.

 

Yup, I agree. Even so, I find it a very interesting distinction. Take the Iraq War as an example. The US had an invasion strategy of "if it moves, shoot it". That is the state essentially giving licence for its troops to kill civilians.

 

Or to put it another way; Stalin is probably responsible for more deaths than any other figure in history. Officially, he's no murderer.