Philosophy Now Forum

Found this question elsewhere and thought it discussion/debate/argument worthy...

If someone winds up getting injured or dead while in the process of stealing other peoples stuff, should we feel bad about it?

Example: fella wants to rob a house (the owners are away on vacation)...he gets the bright idea of goin' down the chimney...as he makes his way down, he slips and falls, injuring himself and gettin' caught up in the flue...two weeks later the home owners return to find his carcass.

Is this person deserving of sympathy, tears?

Another example: fella waylays a pedestrian, brandishes a pistol, demands the pedestrian's property...the pedestrian pulls his own pistol and gut shoots the would-be mugger, who runs away, collapses around the corner and dies.

Is this person deserving of sympathy, tears?

please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste...

-Imp

HQ:

"If someone winds up getting injured or dead while in the process of stealing other peoples stuff, should we feel bad about it?"

Why since the thief/would-be thief had the choice of not doing the crime? Is there a point to this OP?

PhilX

The questions, Phil, the questions (and answers) are the point

Surprised 'you' would wonder as to my 'point' being the prolific 'pointless' thread generator that you are.

Anyway, folks, as you can and like: ponder and answer.

henry quirk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2017 8:27 pm The questions, Phil, the questions (and answers) are the point

Surprised 'you' would wonder as to my 'point' being the prolific 'pointless' thread generator that you are.

Anyway, folks, as you can and like: ponder and answer.

Your OP has no answers and the subject is so trivial and well covered that one would think you have a hidden motive for posting this.

My threads are deep which someone else has noted so I suppose they're too deep for you.

PhilX

henry quirk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2017 8:50 pm

Cheer up Henry. You're taking steps towards true philosophy.

PhilX

Lord, I hope not...all this calculatin' the number of angels that can jig around on a pinhead leaves me cold as as three-day old horseshit, in a pasture, in the dead of winter.

No, I'll leave 'philosophy' to folks like yourself...you all do it so well.

Now: is there no one who will answer my questions, or all you all too busy 'philosophizing'?

henry quirk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:42 pm Lord, I hope not...all this calculatin' the number of angels that can jig around on a pinhead leaves me cold as as three-day old horseshit, in a pasture, in the dead of winter.

No, I'll leave 'philosophy' to folks like yourself...you all do it so well.

Now: is there no one who will answer my questions, or all you all too busy 'philosophizing'?

Don't you think, then, you should have posted to the Lounge since you're not looking for philosophy on this thread?

PhilX

Not too quick on the uptake are you, Phil?

Last call, folks: any one at all willin' to add an answer to the thread, or, has this thread gone over (under) all the keen heads fiddlefartin' in-forum?

henry quirk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2017 4:26 pm Found this question elsewhere and thought it discussion/debate/argument worthy...

If someone winds up getting injured or dead while in the process of stealing other peoples stuff, should we feel bad about it?

Example: fella wants to rob a house (the owners are away on vacation)...he gets the bright idea of goin' down the chimney...as he makes his way down, he slips and falls, injuring himself and gettin' caught up in the flue...two weeks later the home owners return to find his carcass.

Is this person deserving of sympathy, tears?

Another example: fella waylays a pedestrian, brandishes a pistol, demands the pedestrian's property...the pedestrian pulls his own pistol and gut shoots the would-be mugger, who runs away, collapses around the corner and dies.

Is this person deserving of sympathy, tears?

For the first one, assuming the householder didn't set a bear trap in his chimney for the express purpose of slowly killing thieves, I guess there's nothing to feel guilty about. But it's still always a shame when someone dies a horrible death, and I'm really not sure that being a burglar and stealing TVs and stuff makes this an actual deserved fate. Also the guy should probably feel quite ill because the rotting corpse has probably stunk up his house.

Your mugger example looks like a clear cute case of self defence and so no guilt attaches. Although I've been mugged and I just gave them the money which is probably still a better solution.

What about a guy who commits the crime of being black in some street somewhere a white guy thinks he might be a burglar even though he lives there? I believe you had a pretty famous case in America of some chap who took the defence of his property beyond the property line and it all got very messy. How did that one go in the end?

"it's still always a shame when someone dies a horrible death"

In the context of the example: no, it's not. Consider: a guy views you as mere resource for him to exploit...he'll take your shit and never mind your investment of time, energy, and self in acquiring that shit...you're just a herd animal to this guy.

To my mind: this fella is a tick that needs pinchin' off.

#

"I'm really not sure that being a burglar and stealing TVs and stuff makes this an actual deserved fate."

No, he deserves worse.

#

"I've been mugged and I just gave them the money which is probably still a better solution."

Yeah, I've been in the same position and gave the scum nuthin'...not obligated to paricipate in being used.

#

"What about a guy who commits the crime of being black in some street somewhere a white guy thinks he might be a burglar even though he lives there?"

Yeah, the Martin case...black teen wanders through his neighborhood in the middle of the night...latino/hispanic resident decides it would be a good idea to tail the kid...the kid gets pissed and goes after the resident, landing a few good blows in before the resident shoots the kid.

Plenty of wrongheadedness on both sides of that event...neither is a hero or victim in my book.

That got medieval quickly.

HA!

I'm always medieval, Flash.

Merry Christmas then you mean old git. I hope someone brings you five go------old rings.