From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Fri Jan 10 2003 - 01:50:02 MST
Rafal Smigrodzki wrote:
> ### No, why?
>
> When we see a passers-by being assailed with a knife, we predict this might
> result in bodily harm to her, and since we would not like to be bodily
> harmed ourselves, the Golden Rule demands that we act in the predicted
> interest of that person. I hope you wouldn't indifferently wait and see her
> die, rather than call the police, would you?
>
Well, calling the police in such a situation is very unlikely to
do the potential victim any good. Whether you directly
intervened should be determined by the value of the person to
you weighed against the likelihood of serious injury to
yourself. The Golden Rule is not absolutely determinate of
what, if anything, we "should" do in such a circumstance. Also
there is the unanswered question of why the Golden Rule should
be quoted as if is an axiomatic standard at all here.
- samantha
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