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Ethics

Is it right to kill in self-defense or use any type of violence?
Accepted:
February 17, 2010

Comments

Nicholas D. Smith
February 25, 2010 (changed February 25, 2010) Permalink

I think there is a difference between saying that something is right to do, and saying that something is morally justified (or justifiable). I think, accordingly, that killing in self-defense should be understood as morally justifiable (and justified in some cases), rather than insisting on saying that it has to be either right or wrong. The same goes for violence--it can be morally justifiable (and justified in some cases). Understanding this, we will not have to think of it as (simply) right or wrong.

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