[Al Mirpuri]

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How could it be logical to give your life up to the authorities who would then extinguish it in the name of punishment?

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How could it be logical to eat a carrot?

I don't think you know what logical means.

Strictly speaking, actions aren't logical or illogical; arguments are. An argument is logical if its conclusion follows from its premises. An argument is illogical if its conclusion does not follow from its premises.

Metaphorically, we might say that a certain action is "logical" if it is likely to achieve the actor's objectives. If I want to shoot you, it would be "logical" for me to point my gun at you, and "illogical" for me to point it at myself. If I want to shoot myself, the reverse would be true.

If I want to eat a banana, it would be "logical" for me to eat a banana and "illogical" for me to eat a carrot instead.

If I want to eat a carrot, it would be "logical" for me eat a carrot, and "illogical" for me to eat a banana instead.

So just as the logic of an argument depends on the relationship between its premises and its conclusion ("Britney Spears is Mormon; all Mormons are over seven feet tall; therefore Britney Spears is over seven feet tall" is a perfectly logical argument), the "logic" of a certain act depends on the relationship between the actor's assumed objectives and the act's likelihood of achieving them.

But logic doesn't tell us what the premises of an argument should be -- it only tells us whether a given conclusion follows from them.

Similarly, "logic" in the metaphorical sense in which you're using it doesn't tell us what the actor's objectives should be; it just tells us whether a given act is likely to achieve them.

So to answer your question, How could it be logical to give your life up to the authorities who would then extinguish it in the name of punishment?, the answer is that it would be "logical" to give up your life to the authorities if your overriding goal is to spare the mother and child instead of sparing yourself.

If the burglar has different objectives than that, then go ahead and get all indignant about his objectives -- but not about logic. (Or in this case, "logic.")

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Dear maurile,

You have not told anything that comes as a surprise to me.

Much of what you cite I would also cite to support my position.

Yours faithfully,

Al Mirpuri.