3 ms·
Actually, the question was not whether Sutcliffe was justified in committing rape, but whether he was justified in believing that he was doing the will of God.
by cwp 16y ago
Actually, the question was not whether Sutcliffe was justified in committing rape, but whether he was justified in believing that he was doing the will of God. If "firm inner conviction" justifies a belief, and Sutcliffe had firm inner conviction, then Sutcliffe was justified in his belief.
- ziadbc 16y agoI have a firm inner conviction that this test is wrong, regardless of external evidence to the contrary.
- cwp 16y agoOk, just don't act on your conviction.
- tspiteri 16y agoWell, it's a bit like this: 1. Is it justifiable to walk into a shop? 2. John Does walked into a shop and murdered all present. Was he justified in walking into the shop? Answering yes to 1 and no to 2 is a contradiction in the same way. But, is it really valid to separate the action of walking into the shop with the murder of those present? Is it really valid to separate Sutcliffe's belief from his actions?
- cwp 16y agoTo answer your questions, yes and yes. It's clearly possible to walk into a shop without killing anyone, and the analogy to Sutcliffe holds: it's possible to believe that God wants you to rape and murder prostitutes, without actually doing it. Condoning rape and murder only comes into play if you also answer that God is the source of all morality. In that case, doing God's will is by definition moral, and if he wants you to rape and murder, well, you bite the bullet.
- waqf 16y agoThat question often bothers me in the following form: 1. Is it justifiable to speak freely? 2. John Doe announced that a crowded theatre was afire, and people died in a resulting stampede. Was he justified in speaking? Nobody ever addresses the separability issue you describe.
- Tichy 16y agoWhat does "justifies a belief" mean? Serious question, I really don't understand this.
- cwp 16y agoWikipedia to the rescue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_justification http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_justification Basically, a belief is justified if there are good reasons for believing it. What are "good" reasons? It depends on your philosophy. But presumably the reasons are separate from the belief its self. If you cite certain reasons for believing one thing, but then refuse to believe something else on the same basis, you're being inconsistent.