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This doesn't go far enough. The institution of dueling should be brought back as a legally valid contractual arrangement. It may be morbid, but if two people re
by vezzy-fnord 11y ago
This doesn't go far enough. The institution of dueling should be brought back as a legally valid contractual arrangement. It may be morbid, but if two people really deem the situation to be so critical, and provided that they duel in an isolated location, it could be doable.
Not that it should necessarily be encouraged. But to prohibit it entirely seems counterproductive, like the hilariously unenforceable prohibitions against suicide (unless you survive, making you wish you had succeeded once facing the legal consequences).
- jon-wood 11y agoIf someone was challenged to a duel they'd be honour bound to accept, even if they knew they were entirely innocent of whatever provoked the challenge in the first place. Someone being taken to court when innocent is inconvenient, but it can be resolved. If you're innocent but not very good with a sword that innocence isn't going to prevent potentially mortal wounds, yet refusing the challenge leaves a stain on your character.
- jsprogrammer 11y agoHonour bound to accept? Sounds like a bogus concept to me. How about the honor of not engaging in violence?
- Pinckney 11y agoImagine your startup is unwelcome at VC events because you're considered a coward after declining a duel. Or if you're an employee, you're passed up for promotions on the same basis. You can think it bogus all you want, but that is small comfort if there are concrete socially-enforced ramifications for declining a duel.
- jsprogrammer 11y agoDo you know of an actual instance of this happening? If it is bogus, we should be trying to eliminate socially-enforced ramifications that allow VCs to promote violence.
- zepto 11y agoWe have this exact problem now - only 'not very good with a sword', is substituted with 'not having a lot of money'.
- Gracana 11y agoWhich is kind of funny, because back when being good with a sword mattered, "not very good with a sword" generally meant "not having a lot of money" as well.