End and the Means

[bozo]

Rather than use a hypothetical senario, we will use a real one. The nuclear bombing of Japan at the end of the 2nd world war killed thousands of innocent people. This could be said as morraly wrong.
However, the alternitive was far worse. A land invasion of Japan would have turned out like Okinawa (spelt wrong?) where thousands of Japanese died rather than surrender. This carnage could be mulitplied 100 times for the mainland.

We have the situation that it was either thousands of deaths or millions. In the long run, millions of lives were saved at the expense of thousands. This does not make the deaths any better or morraly right but it does justify the act. In a democracy everyone is equal hence the rights of the many must be taken over the rights of the few.

However, that being said there is certianly a grey area.

It was I who invited you to quote examples and you have quoted this one.
You appear to be suggesting that the motive on the part of the Americans was to save more Japanese. It wasn't, it was to save the lives of more Americans in the event of a prolonged land conflict.
I can understand the tactical nature of the decision without necessarilly supporting it. And the dropping of the second bomb is extremely hard to defend.
And as regards democracy, western style, do you REALLY believe we are all equal????

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Heh, Bozo, this is why I hate hypotheticals. That's highly improbably and silly, so in my opinion not worht arguing what you *might* do in a situation that you can almost gaurantee will *never* happen where the tiniest variable makes all the difference.
In my opinion you can never know for sure what you would do in a situation you've never been tested in.

Heh, E, it wasn't my hypothetical, it was Adrian's ( I just added a factor to be considered ).
To repeat what I said to Adrian, ends can justify means, according to your own tastes.
So, for a real event:-
I had a lively exchange with Leo over the French Revolution, which I admire and he doesn't. As regards ends and means, I defend the Terror ( it was needed to defend the revolution ), whereas Leo condemns it for his own reasons.