(March 19, 2018 at 10:12 am)Kookaburra Wrote:(March 19, 2018 at 10:08 am)Grandizer Wrote: What makes causing harm a bad thing? It seems to me like you're looking for that "beyond" answer, which to me isn't necessary at all for all practical and logical purposes.
I mean - yeah, objectively, nothing. But I tend to approach it from a golden rule type base - if it would hurt me, I don’t do it to someone else. But if someone snuck up behind *me* and shot me in the head - I mean, sure, I wouldn’t want it to happen if I anticipated it, but if it was instant and unexpected, I’d be dead. I wouldn’t be around to be annoyed, or upset, or anything about it, so it seems like my usual system doesn’t hold up.
Your usual system (whatever it may be) isn't meant to hold up unconditionally because, ultimately, I don't think there is that perfect or ultimate solution for everything to do with morality and ethics. I also think that we subconsciously hold to more than one "moral system" when it comes to judging whether this or that act is right or wrong, so it's a combination of systems that we use in a flexible manner (as opposed to fixed systems), some of which we employ in some cases and others we employ in other cases.
Note: One could argue that the act of killing causes harm regardless (even if you died instantly and unexpectedly), but you mean "harm" in the subjective manner, so I'll put that aside and just focus on the main question.
