Mammon Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Is it wrong for a more civilized society to enslave a less or anti-civilized society. We recognize that we can take their property (sort of), but can we take their lives? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriatarka Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 (edited) Unless theyve initiated force against you, why would you have the right to take either their life or their property? There are many 'uncivilized' people within our own society, but we do not infringe on their rights if they have not committed a crime. Edited July 31, 2008 by eriatarka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanjos Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Unless theyve initiated force against you, why would you have the right to take either their life or their property? There are many 'uncivilized' people within our own society, but we do not infringe on their rights if they have not committed a crime. It would depend on how much more uncivilized. Savages don't have rights. Native American history is a good example of when it is just to conquer. As for enslaving them, why would you want to ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidOdden Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 Is it wrong for a more civilized society to enslave a less or anti-civilized society. We recognize that we can take their property (sort of), but can we take their lives?You should read some of the writings of Ayn Rand on the topic of rights and morality, if you are interested in questions of slavery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 (edited) It would depend on how much more uncivilized. Savages don't have rights. Native American history is a good example of when it is just to conquer. What an idiotic and ignorant statement. They were humans with fully functional (though not fully rational) brains. Do you really see a difference between the religious irrationality of Native American tribes and of, say, the Puritans or the Quakers? These weren't some Aztec death-lovers willing to kidnap and sacrifice the innocent. Edited July 31, 2008 by brian0918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 (edited) What an idiotic and ignorant statement. They were humans with fully functional (though not fully rational) brains. What he really should of said is that they had no rights to any land. The Indians had no concept of private property and thought that for some reason they "intrinsicly" had "rights" to all of the land. They quickly and properly found out that they possessed no such thing. Edited July 31, 2008 by EC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenure Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 (edited) I don't think it is right to enslave a savage group of humans anymore. That is, it might have made sense when we first discovered such people, already trading each other for profit, into slavery. However, we know now that such men are not some proto-human species, and are in fact just normal men brought up in an irrational environment. Moreover, historically, we should know better than to assume that because slavery and barbarism are possible to men, that somehow metaphysically changes them from men to beasts. Just because Ayn Rand called them 'savages' as a judgement of their way of life, does not necessarily mean they are not still human. They may not have any notion of rights, but they still have a rational capacity, and it is immoral to have any more desire to enslave a savage than a civilised man, just because he doesn't know any better. (That said, once they start claiming a right to put your delicious white-man flesh in their cooking pot, we have every right to nuke Tehran... I mean, we have every right to demolish this hypothetical barbarian 'civilisation'.) Edited July 31, 2008 by Tenure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.