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Murder, [An anthropological discussion]

Raine

By Raine
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Elijah~ Newbie

Elijah~

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Here are three reasons:

1. It is a violation of rights.
Here's your basic philosophical answer: Everyone has certain, basic, natural rights. Among them are the right to life and the right to be free from outside harm. People are considered moral, or "good," when they live within their rights and seek to maximize and expand the rights of others. People are considered immoral, or "bad," when they violate the rights of another. Murder is a violation of another person's right to life and to be free from harm. Thus, murder is bad.
Granted, we do not name all killing murder and thus call it bad. Killing in self-defense of one's right is moral and we place war in a box all its own, both moral and immoral at once and dependent on reasons and sides and other such things. But that's another debate.

2. It doesn't necessarily help the species survive.
From a more evolutionary standpoint, murder doesn't necessarily help the species survive and thrive.
Sure, "murder" happens in the animal kingdom, but often it is a last resort (such as during periods of starvation) or during mating time (when one animal is trying to prove that it is stronger and more fit to mate than another through a show of strength). But even among animals, murder of one's own species is simply not the norm. Wolves don't kill members of their own packs, for example. And if you've ever seen piranhas or sharks, even during a feeding frenzy they by-and-large do not attack or kill one another, only the food they are all competing for.
Murder reduces the gene pool, removes someone who could be of benefit in other ways (mutual defense of the tribe, or in providing food for the whole group, let's say), and has other social drawbacks (see below).

3. It hurts individuals in a social structure.
On the social evolutionary front, murder is a betrayal of trust.
Humans are essentially pack animals. We have evolved to form social groups and tribes and families and to maintain those bonds over long periods of time. To do so, we must trust the other members of those bonds.
We "murder" outsiders and call it war, but turning on one of our own tribemates breaks the trust with everyone else in the tribe. It weakens the whole first by removing a member of that whole (who now can no longer farm or hunt or be helpful to the whole) and it makes everyone else less trusting of the offender (will he murder me next?), which weakens the structure of the tribe and causes it to operate less efficiently. This, too, hurts overall, long-term survival and social advancement. We cannot go about our lives, being productive, working in conjunction with the whole, if we fear members of that whole, if we are losing sleep and taking breaks to keep an eye on our backs for our own protection. Thus, murder and murderers hurt the ability of the rest of the pack to perform and produce.

Murder has a host of reasons to be "bad," but these are three I consider to be the main reasons.

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Raine Newbie

Raine

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What's your K/D ratio scrub

 

1/0/27

 

I play support

 

 

I think I have the high score.

 

That's why you're the boss, boss. 


Here are three reasons:

1. It is a violation of rights.
Here's your basic philosophical answer: Everyone has certain, basic, natural rights. Among them are the right to life and the right to be free from outside harm. People are considered moral, or "good," when they live within their rights and seek to maximize and expand the rights of others. People are considered immoral, or "bad," when they violate the rights of another. Murder is a violation of another person's right to life and to be free from harm. Thus, murder is bad.
Granted, we do not name all killing murder and thus call it bad. Killing in self-defense of one's right is moral and we place war in a box all its own, both moral and immoral at once and dependent on reasons and sides and other such things. But that's another debate.

2. It doesn't necessarily help the species survive.
From a more evolutionary standpoint, murder doesn't necessarily help the species survive and thrive.
Sure, "murder" happens in the animal kingdom, but often it is a last resort (such as during periods of starvation) or during mating time (when one animal is trying to prove that it is stronger and more fit to mate than another through a show of strength). But even among animals, murder of one's own species is simply not the norm. Wolves don't kill members of their own packs, for example. And if you've ever seen piranhas or sharks, even during a feeding frenzy they by-and-large do not attack or kill one another, only the food they are all competing for.
Murder reduces the gene pool, removes someone who could be of benefit in other ways (mutual defense of the tribe, or in providing food for the whole group, let's say), and has other social drawbacks (see below).

3. It hurts individuals in a social structure.
On the social evolutionary front, murder is a betrayal of trust.
Humans are essentially pack animals. We have evolved to form social groups and tribes and families and to maintain those bonds over long periods of time. To do so, we must trust the other members of those bonds.
We "murder" outsiders and call it war, but turning on one of our own tribemates breaks the trust with everyone else in the tribe. It weakens the whole first by removing a member of that whole (who now can no longer farm or hunt or be helpful to the whole) and it makes everyone else less trusting of the offender (will he murder me next?), which weakens the structure of the tribe and causes it to operate less efficiently. This, too, hurts overall, long-term survival and social advancement. We cannot go about our lives, being productive, working in conjunction with the whole, if we fear members of that whole, if we are losing sleep and taking breaks to keep an eye on our backs for our own protection. Thus, murder and murderers hurt the ability of the rest of the pack to perform and produce.

Murder has a host of reasons to be "bad," but these are three I consider to be the main reasons.

 

Boo hoo, n00b! 

 

Rights? Don't tell me about rights until you prestige, casual! 

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