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I don't understand the moral intuition here: why is working on that Oracle server morally wrong, but not paying taxes to the country which bombs those innocent

I don't understand the moral intuition here: why is working on that Oracle server morally wrong, but not paying taxes to the country which bombs those innocent civilians?

drivingmenuts 14y ago
It's a realistic choice. One can usually choose not to work in a military-related occupation and probably not face any major repercussions. However, if one chooses not to pay taxes, one may soon find oneself without the ability to earn an income of any sort, for starters. Everyone has limits to what they feel they can do in protest.
cbryan 14y ago
I've been in a similar situation, and I think it's about risk. It's relatively easy to decline a job, you're not going to jail for turning down a gig. Not paying taxes will get you some serious jail time though. So morally, yeah, both actions are enabling the same results, but one is easier to commit to.
- mindslight 14y ago
  Also, not paying taxes has less prospect of leading by example. The sheer majority will attack you for not paying your "fair" share, as they internalize their rulers' plans as their own to feel a sense of purpose.
  - drivingmenuts 14y ago
    There's some justification for that, though. If you don't pay your portion, then that's less funding for the things that are common good, as well as common bad. I don't particularly think it's all that great that childless homeowners pay school taxes on their property, but I accept the reasoning for it.
dclowd9901 14y ago
That's a false dichotomy as not all of the taxes you pay go toward national defense. He sees a closer connection to actively (and willingly) working on systems that could be used to oppress people in other places than the 50-someodd percent of his Federal taxes finding their way into National Defense spending (which, by all accounts, he probably wouldn't pay if he had the choice). Even if that wasn't the case, the argument can simply be "why contribute even more to the military war machine than I already have to," which isn't at all an unjust argument. This argument also presumes there's no barrier to simply changing residency of country, when in fact, it can be very difficult to get a visa, let alone a job, for a militarily neutral country like Switzerland.
illumin8 14y ago
I can't choose not to pay taxes. I can choose not to spend 8 hours a day assisting in the delivery of weapons systems.

I don't understand the moral intuition here: why is working on that Oracle server morally wrong, but not paying taxes to the country which bombs those innocent civilians?

drivingmenuts 14y ago

It's a realistic choice. One can usually choose not to work in a military-related occupation and probably not face any major repercussions. However, if one chooses not to pay taxes, one may soon find oneself without the ability to earn an income of any sort, for starters. Everyone has limits to what they feel they can do in protest.

cbryan 14y ago

I've been in a similar situation, and I think it's about risk. It's relatively easy to decline a job, you're not going to jail for turning down a gig. Not paying taxes will get you some serious jail time though. So morally, yeah, both actions are enabling the same results, but one is easier to commit to.

mindslight 14y ago
Also, not paying taxes has less prospect of leading by example. The sheer majority will attack you for not paying your "fair" share, as they internalize their rulers' plans as their own to feel a sense of purpose.
- drivingmenuts 14y ago
  There's some justification for that, though. If you don't pay your portion, then that's less funding for the things that are common good, as well as common bad. I don't particularly think it's all that great that childless homeowners pay school taxes on their property, but I accept the reasoning for it.

dclowd9901 14y ago

That's a false dichotomy as not all of the taxes you pay go toward national defense. He sees a closer connection to actively (and willingly) working on systems that could be used to oppress people in other places than the 50-someodd percent of his Federal taxes finding their way into National Defense spending (which, by all accounts, he probably wouldn't pay if he had the choice). Even if that wasn't the case, the argument can simply be "why contribute even more to the military war machine than I already have to," which isn't at all an unjust argument. This argument also presumes there's no barrier to simply changing residency of country, when in fact, it can be very difficult to get a visa, let alone a job, for a militarily neutral country like Switzerland.

illumin8 14y ago

I can't choose not to pay taxes. I can choose not to spend 8 hours a day assisting in the delivery of weapons systems.