[cielo]

Interesting question,

so the question is, Good for whom?

as well as, Did this guy do anything? Did he say that he would kill his torturer/murderer if he was released?

I think that ethics needs to be looked at on a case by case basis, this does not necessarily imply a relativism. But merely that moral principles should be applied to the specifics of each, for example my questions above.


Back to your hypothetical, lets assume for the sake of argument that the tortured/murdered guy is completely innocent. Is it going to be good or bad for my life if people are allowed to torture/murder others at whim. I think it will be an overall -EV move for me.

A correlary principle to my life being an end in itself is that I must recognize that the lives of others are ends for other people as well.

So, while I can claim a right to my own happiness and fulfilling that, I can claim no right to the life of another, for example, I can't justify torturing/murdering someone who does not pose a threat to my life.

cielo