Should I destroy enemies if it means destroying friends?: Philosophy Forums

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Should I destroy enemies if it means destroying friends?

Should I destroy enemies if it means destroying friends?

DarkHorse
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Posted 04/18/08 - 11:19 AM: Subject: Should I destroy enemies if it means destroying friends?	#1
In one of the novels by C.S. Lewis there was, briefly, the idea of the 'despicable word.' In the novel the word had the power to destroy everything on the planet but the one who spoke it. My question is, supposing that I knew this despicable word, if I am attacked and have no other means of defending myself, am I justified in using it? Assuming that I have friends among the inhabitants of the planet, am I justified in destroying them to preserve my own life against certain destruction? Should I kill my friends if it would mean killing my enemies?
History is the only laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of thought.--Etienne Gilson

SIR2U
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Posted 04/18/08 - 04:46 PM:	#2
What would there be left to live for after using it?
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Floyd
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Posted 04/18/08 - 07:08 PM:	#3
I don't know what you mean by justified. Justified according to what? Anyway, if it was me, I would do what I want or at least what I believe I want. In fact, I am not sure how anyone could not do what they believe they most want. I would rather die than kill all my friends and everyone else in the world, especially considering how incredibly bored, lonely and sad I would be after killing everyone in the world. I'd probably end up committing suicide if I killed everyone in the world. -Floyd
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DarkHorse
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Posted 04/22/08 - 11:48 AM:	#4
Floyd wrote: I don't know what you mean by justified. Justified according to what? Anyway, if it was me, I would do what I want or at least what I believe I want. In fact, I am not sure how anyone could not do what they believe they most want. I would rather die than kill all my friends and everyone else in the world, especially considering how incredibly bored, lonely and sad I would be after killing everyone in the world. I'd probably end up committing suicide if I killed everyone in the world. -Floyd By 'justified' I meant, basically, should you by your own ethical and moral standards. If you believed that your enemy would kill your friends if you didn't use the despicable word, should you? SIR2U wrote: What would there be left to live for after using it? What would ther be left to live for if you didn't? If your enemy is going to destroy your friends and everything you hold dear?
History is the only laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of thought.--Etienne Gilson

SIR2U
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Posted 04/24/08 - 05:06 PM:	#5
darkhorse wrote: What would ther be left to live for if you didn't? If you had not used the word you would be dead, so why would you care. darkhorse wrote: If your enemy is going to destroy your friends and everything you hold dear? You you did not say that at the beginning!!!
Unknown Alanic wiseman. "Ignorance and bad teeth have at least one thing in common. Keeping your mouth closed makes them both less obvious"

DarkHorse
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Posted 04/24/08 - 05:57 PM:	#6
SIR2U wrote: If you had not used the word you would be dead, so why would you care. I wouldn't, but my friends might. SIR2U wrote: You you did not say that at the beginning!!! OOPs! Ok, what I meant to say in the admittedly clumsy paragraph above is, basically, should I destroy both my friends and enemies, or leave my friends to fight an undefeatable enemy.
History is the only laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of thought.--Etienne Gilson

Techeth
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Posted 04/24/08 - 06:18 PM:	#7
With the latter at least there's hope.
Studying is like rowing against the current, if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward. - Chinese proverb Life's a bitch but God forbid the bitch divorce me! - Anon Silence makes the soul feel sick - Timid Timothy

Floyd
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Posted 04/24/08 - 06:19 PM:	#8
DarkHorse wrote: By 'justified' I meant, basically, should you by your own ethical and moral standards. If you believed that your enemy would kill your friends if you didn't use the despicable word, should you? I don't know what it means for there to be something I should do. I know what I would do. If everyone else would live in the world but me if I didn't use the word (which was what I thought the hypothetical was), then I would choose to die to let everyone else live. If all my friends would be killed regardless of whether or not I used the word, then I would still probably not use the word because I wouldn't want to murder everyone else, and I'd be bored and possibly suicidal if I was the last person alive and responsible for murdering everyone.
Short and to the point. \| Online Philosophy Club \| Book & Reading Forums \| My Philosophy Articles "Only the descent into the hell of self-knowledge can pave the way to godliness." ~Immanuel Kant

verta-vitae
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Posted 04/24/08 - 10:32 PM:	#9
DarkHorse wrote: In one of the novels by C.S. Lewis there was, briefly, the idea of the 'despicable word.' In the novel the word had the power to destroy everything on the planet but the one who spoke it. My question is, supposing that I knew this despicable word, if I am attacked and have no other means of defending myself, am I justified in using it? Assuming that I have friends among the inhabitants of the planet, am I justified in destroying them to preserve my own life against certain destruction? Should I kill my friends if it would mean killing my enemies? would you do it knowing that it would kill your friends, loved ones and everyone else regardless if some one told you to. I think its more of a matter of what kind of person are you?
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Caldwell
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Posted 04/25/08 - 12:12 AM:	#10
DarkHorse wrote: What would ther be left to live for if you didn't? If your enemy is going to destroy your friends and everything you hold dear? As others have already pointed out, If you used the despicable word, then there's nothing to live for. If you didn't use the despicable word, then you're dead, so are your friends. I think that despicable word is a useless gadget if you have an enemy that wants to kill you and your friends/loved ones and everything else in the world and you have no other way of defending yourselves. In other words, you have no true bargaining power.
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jnuzzo
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Posted 04/25/08 - 01:19 AM:	#11
I'd fly me and my friends into space and then use the word ... we come back to the planet ... and all our enemies are dead. Sweet deal ...

DarkHorse
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Posted 04/26/08 - 07:16 PM:	#12
jnuzzo wrote: I'd fly me and my friends into space and then use the word ... we come back to the planet ... and all our enemies are dead. Sweet deal ... Ok, not the point, but ok it would work. Say the wording were more like, every living thing in existence, except you. Caldwell wrote: As others have already pointed out, If you used the despicable word, then there's nothing to live for. If you didn't use the despicable word, then you're dead, so are your friends. I think that despicable word is a useless gadget if you have an enemy that wants to kill you and your friends/loved ones and everything else in the world and you have no other way of defending yourselves. In other words, you have no true bargaining power. It is only a useless gadget if your enemy does not fear death. In any case, that did not answer the question. Should I use it?
History is the only laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of thought.--Etienne Gilson

Techeth
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Posted 04/27/08 - 07:41 AM:	#13
My personal opinion is that you should not use it. When you say kill you friends do you just mean your friends, as the 5, 10 or 50 people that that may be? I still think you shouldn't but their is the possibilty that you could make new friends, so you would have something to live for. Still it's madness, kill however many people to save yourself! understandable but not my cup of tea. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Studying is like rowing against the current, if you are not moving forward, you are moving backward. - Chinese proverb Life's a bitch but God forbid the bitch divorce me! - Anon Silence makes the soul feel sick - Timid Timothy

Ironic
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Posted 04/29/08 - 12:11 PM:	#14
We must first define what you are, though. I mean, if it kills every living organism but you, does it eradicate the bacteria living on your skin? In your lungs? In your stomach? What exactly do you consider yourself to be? Also, the eradication of every being by the word is pointless in this situation, in the fact that it would only delay the inevitable - if you have an undefeatable enemy who cannot be stopped except with the word, he's eventually going to do the same thing anyway. From my point of view, you are at least ending the slaughter in a way that is humane and painless for all involved. You can kill yourself after, or do whatever, but from that point of view using the word is justified. Now, against a common street thug who had a gun to your head? Of course not. Using the word would be a waste.

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