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What would be the consequences of a society dependent on Biodiesel?

Is blackmail morally wrong or not? Are consequences a form of blackmail?

  • Can consequences be considered blackmail? To me blackmail is hanging the threat of something over another persons head for whatever reason, usually personal gain in some way and I don't strictly mean financially either. I.e. If you don't do such and such for us, the oil companies, we will not give you money for your political advancement. The person being extorted is offered the choice between obeying someone else's wishes, or suffering the consequences. It would seem that although I offered you a morally shady example there, that laws are constructed in exactly the same manner that blackmail is. So does that mean that rules, laws, and their consequences do nothing but blackmail people? There is a bit of dissonance that I am experiencing here. I generally consider extortion wrong and unfair. It "Claims" to offer people a choice, when in reality it offers people a "non-choice", seeing as the choices given are inequitable Thus, choice without a choice. On a side note, laws in a way provide a utilitarianistic "form" of morality to society and I realize this. However, seeing as I am not a utilitarianist myself I don't consider such notions to fall within the realm of morality. I understand that many people do at least partially agree with utilitarianism even if they are not even aware of its definition, be that as it may, when I write of morality in this questions header let it be known that I refer to a purer form of it than utilitarianism provides. Utilitarianism teaches that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few in society. Thus, if you were in a situation where you had to choose between saving your own family, and another family with but one more member to it - it would be morally wrong for you to save your own family. It also teaches that it is morally wrong to cause one person more pain than they would cause you in order to protect yourself. Thus, if you were being raped by a person it would be morally wrong to kill them in self defense. So laws are morally good according to utilitarianism... but utilitarianism is flawed to me which is why I question whether or not such things such as Laws can be considered morally acceptable when their entire foundation is set upon an immoral act; that of blackmail. Thoughts?

  • Answer:

    Interesting analysis. I would say that the parallels that you have drawn between blackmail and law are certainly accurate in principle. In thinking of the possibilities of blackmail, I see it as an action/consequence scenario, much like laws. As for your comments on Utilitarianism...I know the basics of it and think that in some instances, it is logical...like sacrificing your own life to save others. However, if someone comes after my family, I do not give a crap if they have a larger family, and if someone tried to rape my wife, they would not only die, but they would die VERY painfully.

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Your belief in what constitutes blackmail mean nothing. Extortion is a crime and as all crimes, the elements are defined by the legislature. The elements are slightly different in each state but in general it involves an unlawful consequence. Contrary to what you see on TV, the threat to expose a secret if not paid rarely amounts to extortion.

This is a very old argument, though maybe drunkenly presented. Equally drunkworthy, I shall present the fallacy of your argument. All pleas are confessions of guilt. Without acceptance of guilt, a plea is a lie; it is perjury. True testimony is the foundation of our legal system. No matter that leniency is proffered, an innocent defendant must plead innocence. He can never plead guilty, regardless of considerations to the contrary.

you are confusing extortion (theft) with coercion forcing a person to act acertain way. Both of these are illegal acts. Forcing a person to commit an illegal action is not a legitimate function of government. Laws provide penaltied for illegal actions. The main difference is "due process" We elect city councilmen and state and federal representatives to make laws. this election thiong gives them "legitimacy" and their actions create laws which we are morally obligated to obey. You are also misrepresenting Utilitarianism as communism.

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