Hi Katy
But wouldn't it be common sense to protect yourself if your life were threatened?
If your child was hungry (I don't mean a kid is hungry right now, just because he hasn't eaten for a few hours, I mean a child who may not have eaten for a few days or longer or doesn't have nutritious food available) wouldn't it be common sense to steal some food? (I am not talking about stealing for the sake of stealing, or to get a non necessity that is simply a want)
I do think that self preservation and survival are common sense as opposed to legally permissable or socially acceptable.
I can't think of when it would be common sense to bear false witness - maybe if I was being tortured? Is that common sense or survival instinct? (I don't know)
I agree that the stealing scenario you presented is a problem hence why I understand it is wrong, but we are talking common sense and how differing environments may influence common sense.
No, I haven't read any of John Paul Satre's work.
I do agree with the personal responsibility - I do. But it seems that some people for many reasons struggle to get ahead, even in Australia where theoretically, we are a pretty priveledged society. (if they are the right woirds, but I hope you understand what I am trying to say). We do have welfare which suggests that society agrees that not everyone is capable of personal responsibility all of the time.
I think the Bible even talks about "an eye for an eye"?
This then brings us to the whole Death Penalty scenario. Does that send a message to society that killing is ok?
BUT - your line "So, if YOU killed someone, or robbed someone, it was sending a message to others that it was acceptable. " 100% agree - and I think this is how we become desensitised to things that in the past were abhorrent and socially unacceptable. (Did I just come full circle? I think you said something like that earlier)
The Ten Commandments
As I said before, I think that the first four are religion based rather than the whole of society. BUT - I think of how we got the Ten Commandments (according to the Bible) (I'm not convinced that when the Bible was written in 400AD that a group of societies leaders didn't sit around and decide that they needed some rules and laws and in order to give those laws/rules authority, stated they were handed down by God.)
BUT - in context - those commandments were given to Noah by "our heavenly Father" so a parent figure? (in the context of back then). I can see how those Commandments would apply to my parents, regardless of what my religious beliefs.
As for the rest, and probably even those above, at the moment I think that every Commandment has validity, depending on environment and circumstance.
The law does too. A sadistic killer out for kicks on a friday night is given a harsher sentence than one who killed in self defence. And many other circumstances receive lighter sentences than those who killed because "it sounded like fun" (usually, I think).
Whether I kill in the name of euthenasia, capital Punishment, in war, in self defence etc or just cos I was an evil **bleep** - I still killed someone, yet society and the law make allowances or treat each occurrance differently.
Only some lies (bearing false witness) are criminally penalized. (I can dob my brother in for taking the last biscuit when it was me and not go to jail, but if I lie in Court or somewhere official, I would probably be penalised in some manner.
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