Suppose during the lunch hour on a busy street corner in the central business district of a big city I close my eyes and begin shooting a handgun in random directions. In such a case, I could honestly say I have no intent to kill anyone. And indeed I may not. But even a fool would realize that by placing himself in that situation and engaging in that behavior, he may very well kill someone. So what is the moral responsibility of this individual for any deaths he may cause? If specific intent is to carry the day, the answer would be none. Ridiculous, no? Well, so it is with the soldier. Even the most naive and ignorant young recruit knows that by enlisting in the military he will be placing himself in a situation where he may well be ordered to kill others. And for something so grave as the taking of a life, he should take care to ensure that the military and government he would represent has no track record of wanton and unjustified killing. A simple internet search at the local library should suffice. Are human lives not worth that much? You say many soldiers are victims, and I agree. But victims are not incapable of victimizing others, nor should they have moral absolution of such. The title of soldier is not a get out of jail free card for all the heinous acts one may commit.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 00:19:12 +0000
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