3 ms·
The Nuremberg trials established that 'just obeying orders' is no excuse, that acting as the tool of another does not absolve a person. That doesn't mean the pe
by pkinsky 11y ago
The Nuremberg trials established that 'just obeying orders' is no excuse, that acting as the tool of another does not absolve a person. That doesn't mean the person giving the orders isn't at least as guilty as the person who carries them out.
- darkerside 11y agoThat's right, but it does mean there is a totally valid distinction between "authorizing" killings, and carrying them out yourself. The top level comment is blurring lines that shouldn't need to be blurred.
- PavlovsCat 11y agoA leader ordering murder is both a murderer and someone ordering murderer. Someone fulfilling that order is a murderer. Usually, the general use of language tries to hide this. Presidents "order killings", and people "pull the trigger, but the orders come from elsewhere". Nobody involved feels like a murderer, opposed to all of them.