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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: NightOwl who wrote (125538)	3/3/2004 2:35:23 PM
From: Jacob Snyder	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

<You and I are sitting on my front porch. Sunny Day....> You mistake me, for someone else. I'd be on his side, if my neighbor's kid got run over by the local CrackHeads. I would fully support all efforts to close the Crack Houses, including more money for hiring more policemen, and looser Rules Of Engagement. Also Neighborhood Watch, drug treatment, guns for all Good Citizens to protect their children with, and anything else that works. For me to protect the CrackHeads, would not be Altruism, it would be UnFit self-destructive behavior (because my kids will get run over, next). I have never criticized EyeForEye justice (= Strict Reciprocity, in self-defense). I think Jesus is better than Moses, but following Moses would be a vast improvement over current methods. What I criticize is those who worship a Tribal War God, that wages wars of aggression (=preventive or pre-emptive wars), and use vastly disproportionate violence. One person's rights stop, when they infringe on another's rights, so I have no problem with taking away the CrackHeads rights, to whatever extent necessary, for however long is needed, so they are not a public health hazard. I'd prefer this be done by police and courts, but if there are none (it's a rough neighborhood), then I wouldn't criticize my neighbor for doing vigilante violence. But I wouldn't support my neighbor if he said, "I'm scared, and I want to scare you. I think those Others, down the street, are CrackHeads. I think they have intentions of doing crack-related program activities. Let's kill 'em all, before they have a chance to run over our children." Altruism (the dictionary definition you found): "Instinctive cooperative behavior that is detrimental to the individual but contributes to the survival of the species." I think of it as: Altruism is instinctive or learned behavior, that has short-term immediate costs to the individual, but is in his personal long-term interests. See the difference? It's pointless to ask anyone to do something for the "good of the species". It's hard enough to get them to do things in their own long-term interests.