Discussion: Is there a moral difference between killing and letting die?

Ethereal

Quote:

The Smith and Jones example (Rachels, 1975, p.493) runs as follows; Smith and Jones would be in line to get an inheritance if their 6 year old cousin wasn’t around. The pair separately decide to try and kill the young man, thereby clearing the way for them to receive the inheritance. In one scenario and outcome Smith waits for the cousin to have a bath, and then sneaks in and drowns him, making the death look accidental. In the other scenario and outcome, Jones waits for the cousin to have a bath, but as he walks into the bathroom to drown him, finds the cousin has slipped over, knocking himself unconscious and lying face down in the bath, already in the process of drowning. Instead of helping him (or assisting with the drowning process already occurring), Jones merely lets the cousin drown ‘accidentally’ thereby accomplishing the deed without action.

Do you think there's a moral difference between killing and letting die?

Personally, I don't think there's a difference. Jones is just as bad as Smith is.

Legacy

Well in that case they both wanted to kill him so there's no difference. It was "easier" for Jones though. So yes there are both criminals.

AvrilLaQueen

hmm... interesting topic, never had any thoughts on this but here's my first thought about it now:

you have choice to either kill or let someone die while you can still save them, that's equally bad
but morally, you killed someone which is different and more hardcore than to let someone die (out of fear of being caught)

Ethereal

Quote:

Originally posted by AvrilLaQueen

hmm... interesting topic, never had any thoughts on this but here's my first thought about it now:

you have choice to either kill or let someone die while you can still save them, that's equally bad
but morally, you killed someone which is different and more hardcore than to let someone die (out of fear of being caught)

They both had the intention of killing the child. One did kill the child, but the other just stood and watched as the child drowned to death That's just as worse as actually killing someone, because he had all the power in his hands to save the child.

AvrilLaQueen

Quote:

Originally posted by Ethereal

They both had the intention of killing the child. One did kill the child, but the other just stood and watched as the child drowned to death That's just as worse as actually killing someone, because he had all the power in his hands to save the child.

oh, I didn't quite understand what the OP was talking, especially with those word fonts

yeah, it's terrible, but I don't think it affects him as much as the killer. I mean the killer could then kill both of them so

EtherealCat

I don't think there is a difference, being mentally to weak to go through with killing someone doesn't make it any less wrong to allow someone to die.

blackbeatxx

it´s like eating animals tbh.
very few could kill a calf, but they´re happily eating it if anyone else kills it.
and i´m eating meat so it´s a recurring dilemma. eating it more and more seldomly tho

Aurora

There is definitely a difference I think, but it's a "worse of two evils" type scenario. Letting someone die is despicable, but murdering them with your own two hands is worse.

Dessy Fenix

If they both wanted the person to die sure. But otherwise I'd say there is a difference, based on the mental pressure/feeling of the bystander.

Kim Kardashian

Both are murder and are totally illegal.

RihsusChrist(ATG)

Quote:

Originally posted by blackbeatxx

it´s like eating animals tbh.
very few could kill a calf, but they´re happily eating it if anyone else kills it.
and i´m eating meat so it´s a recurring dilemma. eating it more and more seldomly tho

It's like with Lobsters...I think how they are prepared is inhumane; they throw them alive into a boiling pot of water...but they do taste so good.

OP: When I think of morally letting someone die, "end of life" decisions come to mind...as in deciding to take someone off a ventilator and letting them pass on.

B'Day

"Bad things happen because good people do nothing."

velocity

it's the same thing to me