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Mood: Curious
I took this from a previous entry because I am curious about responses.
Imagine you work as part of the underground railroad (help slaves to freedom). Most everyone would view this as a very good thing to do... right? ...at the time, this was considered stealing since the slaves were someone else's property.
Well, one night when you have a few slaves hiding in your basement, the sheriff comes by on a tip that you are hiding slaves. He comes to your door and asks, "Are you hiding any negros?" Would you be wrong to lie to him? If you don't, you will forfeit the lives of the innocent people you were trying to save and most likely your own.
I would say that I have a moral obligation to tell a deceive the officer to the best of my ability. I'd even feel obligated to risk my life if my deception failed to convince the sheriff.
© DO NOT EAT 2006
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That's such an amazing example, but I don't know if I'd feel obligated. I rack my mind trying to discern if I would have been against the popular vote and said slavery is bad, but I can't come up with a positive yes and that kills me. I feel awful when I break a law, and I'm having a hard time applying this to present day. [Little Secret]
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12/3/2006 12:39:19 AM
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Well, I guess it would be like hiding people that didn't do anything wrong. I could see myself lying for that, but it's also practically risking your life. That's hard. I don't know anything. [Little Secret]
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12/3/2006 12:40:21 AM
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Well I'd have to assume if I was hiding slaves in the first place that I believed that enslavement of an entire peoples was wrong, unjust, and that the greater good of saving them outweighed the wrong of lying and "stealing". I don't necessarily equate doing something illegal with doing something immoral. Sometimes breaking the law is actually the moral thing to do. Ethics + social norms = debate? [QuickStop employee]
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12/3/2006 5:38:41 AM
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I thought morals were religiously based, and ethics not. So, wouldn't one have to be religious to have morals? I must go find a dictionary.
Maybe I'm all wrong!! [Misguided Angel]
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12/4/2006 8:39:29 AM
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The word moral isn't tied to religion, it's a synonym to ethics... In this case I'd be under moral obligation to lie as well. However... It really comes down to commitment. Lets say a soldier joins a war, is he commited to die? Maybe, maybe not... Moments like this guage commitment. [lostouthere]
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1/11/2007 6:08:14 PM
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