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Ethics

If I see some innocent lady being beaten to death and, though I could easily stop the robbery, I CHOOSE not to intervene just because I'm sure the guy will eventually be punished for his crime, does that make me a bad person?
Accepted:
March 12, 2006

Comments

Matthew Silverstein
March 12, 2006 (changed March 12, 2006) Permalink

If you really could "easily" stop the robbery and save someone'slife (without putting your own life in grave danger), then surely you do havea moral obligation to intervene. The fact that the violent man will certainly be punished seems to be entirely irrelevant to question ofwhat you ought to do. Punishing wrongdoers may be important,but preventing them from wrongdoing in the first place is of muchgreater importance!

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