Is it okay to harm one person if it means protecting others?
by 
Jenny The Great ⭐
ANSWERS: 5
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It depends on a lot of things. Defending one's self or a loved one from an attacker, harming the attacker in the process, is almost universally accepted as justifiable. However, doing the same in the event the person harmed is not posing a direct danger is generally considered unjustifiable.
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If that one person is a threat and has done something bad to someone else, let the police handle them after they are reported so as they won’t hurt anyone else. Usually the police who do their job properly (not corrupt) are not harming the person but to give them a warning or put them in prison in order to protect others. If you know the person is a threat, it doesn’t give you the right to harm them if they have not done anything to you or those around you just yet. To harm someone is assault. Let the police do their job.
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In what we might call "standard Western/Christian moral philosophy" * It's NEVER OK to harm a person * but if all of the other available options (are likely to) result in even worse consequences, then the best moral choice (even though it is IMmoral) is to harm the one person. * And so (for example) in ancient societies executing a murderer was the most moral option available. Now several nations have fairly secure life imprisonment as an option - but that was not the case in ancient times, and is still not the case in many nations. One must also consider the value of the "example" - if a murderer is executed, how many would-be murderers will refrain to avoid the penalty? If a murderer is NOT executed and is given life imprisonment instead, how many would-be murderers will consider that an acceptable consequence and go ahead with the murder? * SO: to make the right moral determination in such cases, one needs to consider the morality of ALL of the consequences, insofar as humans are able to do so.
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If the person I hurt is an immediate threat to me or mine, then I would hurt him/them to save me/mine. 12/28/23
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Be careful harming anyone as it can backfire and you can be criminally charged.
bostjan the adequate 🥉 
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