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It's sad that this needs to be said explicitly, but laws should be derived from ethics, not the other way around.
by Udo 13y ago
It's sad that this needs to be said explicitly, but laws should be derived from ethics, not the other way around.
- harshreality 13y agoAren't they already? Ethics are subjective. There is always a minority that disagrees with the ethical basis for any given law. But there is an ethical basis that prompted getting the law passed.
- Ntrails 13y agoYou missed a pretty vital part of this - which is that laws are derived (at least theoretically in a democracy) from the majority view on ethics and morality.
- w_t_payne 13y agoWe are a democracy once every 4 years ... and that extends only as far as the legislative branch. Our government(s) are composed of more than just elected representatives. We have civil servants that propose and draft the law, judges that interpret it, and police officers who enforce it. Do any of these groups give more than a passing damn about elections or the will of the majority? Or are they more easily subverted by the glare of the latest media frenzy, selfish consideration of their own career advancement, or innate primal urges towards jingoism, nepotism and authoritarianism? You tell me.
- w_t_payne 13y agoThe law has nothing to do with ethics. That is just a smoke-screen. The law is an instrument of control. Nothing more, nothing less.
- enraged_camel 13y agoYour ethics or mine?