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  • I’m against the death penalty, so I’m not sure what “moral position” of mine you’re attacking exactly. Our only point of friction so far has been over the use of basic logic when formulating strong opinions.

  • Here, let me help you.

    1. Intending to kill a person is always wrong.
    2. The death penalty involves intending to kill a person.
    3. Therefore, the death penalty is always wrong.

    This argument is valid. It is not sound.

    I’m actually against the death penalty. But I am also against forming strongly held beliefs for no reason and occasionally stumbling on the correct conclusion by accident.

    1. Killing innocent people is wrong.
    2. The death penalty has a chance of killing innocent people.
    3. Therefore, the death penalty is wrong.

    Versus:

    1. Killing innocent people is wrong.
    2. Driving a car has a chance of killing innocent people.
    3. Therefore, driving a car is wrong.

    Clearly, this argument is not sound. You’ll need to come up with another.

    For a more nuanced discussion on this topic I’d recommend a modern Ethics textbook, such as Shafer-Landau’s Living Ethics, which breaks down arguments over the death penalty to their syllogistic form.

    EDIT: more examples.

    1. Killing innocent people is wrong.
    2. Practicing medicine has a well known chance of killing innocent people.
    3. Therefore, practicing medicine is wrong.

    Etcetera

  • I’m not vegan. Just pointing out the obvious.

    War is bad because it consigns millions of innocent creatures to death and suffering.

    Factory farming is bad because it consigns BILLIONS of innocent creatures to death and suffering per year.

    How do you wrap your tiny morally imbecilic mind around the former but not the latter?

    • Do you believe it can ever be moral to take an innocent person's life?

    Absolutely not. But you’ll agree this guy is not innocent.

    • Do you believe that our judicial system has never wrongly convicted an innocent person and sentenced them to death?

    That line of reasoning would be paralyzing. There’s a high chance that you’ll kill an innocent person while driving, but you’re still driving. I suppose the alternative is even worse.

    1. Human beings are literally animals.
    2. Innocent animals deserve to live; murderers don’t.
    3. Let’s eat murderers instead of animals.

    Human animals who murder other animals for food get to keep doing it —> murderers get to die for a good cause. Everyone’s happy!