2 questions on killing for the common good

  • Thread starter Thread starter fakename
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fakename said:
This should make things clear:

you know the common good best if and only if you are the true ruler.

This is because the greater thing orders, and is the end of, the lower thing and so if someone is greater in knowledge about the common good then that person orders the person lower in such knowledge.

People are to follow legitimate authority -that is those who know the common good best (and those who know the best may or may not be those who are in control of political power.)

If they are not in control of political power and yet all of anyone else are in political power, then none of the others would be those who know the common good. So really the former, because they don’t know the common good, would not be true rulers. And so they hold their power unjustly and produce unjust laws. So therefore since it is desirable to be ruled not by tyrants or anyone else except the good, then it would be right to replace these rulers with the true rulers.

What confuses me is the proposition that authority is legitimate (just?) as long as it doesn’t actively become illegitimate (as long as it is not unjust?). It seems to say that if someone rules, then that rule is unquestionable until the rulers begin to actually do bad things -in this case the person who is lesser potentially rules over those who are better -and this seems to be an inversion of nature or at least the rule that the greater is the end of the lesser -that the servants serve the master. There are certainly objections to my views but I want to here yours specifically.

But even I forgot the original question which is: can a ruler intentionally kill someone for the sake of the public?
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Can or should?
 
ANNE_2 said:
No. You can never take the law into your own hands to kill someone.

Self defense is appropriate and necessary even if a lethal blow is required.

Revenge is never permitted.
Capital punishment (death penalty) is only permitted by authority if it is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

See “Legitimate Defense” #2263 - 2267 in your CCC.
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Thou shalt not kill is thou shalt not kill when it comes to mass rapes & willful HIV infections in Rwanda. Thou shalt not kill depends entirely on gender & if it falls in allegiance with nationalist pride. Indeed, what a world view.
 
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