Well, you would have to understand that my philosophy has had several different influences, and does not truly match any single school of thought. I was raised Jewish, but taught by survivors of the Holocaust (I remember teachers with their numbers tattooed on their arm), and the lessons on "Never Again" really were drilled in and stuck. I am not by any means a Talmudic or Hebraic scholar though. I was raised by a Marine sergeant and entered the military fairly early myself. I have spent almost all of my adult life working in the military or law enforcement fields, where we deal with some not so nice people. I have studied some ethics and philosophy, especially philosophy of law and government.Hoi Polloi wrote:Steve: Would I be accurate in saying that one of the principal theories of a just war being that it be "waged by a legitimate authority" is difficult for you because you don't see how that meshes with the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself"? Would you disagree with this statement (emphasis by me): "If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful. . . . Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's."
I really don't see a problem with pre-emptive strikes, either by a nation against another or by an individual against another. The strike must be justified, but when justified, it is just. One example of pre-emptive individual strikes that i can use is the burning bed type of cases. to me, this is fully justified when she can show the history of abuse.
One of the reasons I would allow deadly force for any theft is that they are not just stealing my property. I worked to get that property, which means that they are stealing my time and labor. This is just another form of enslavement, and I am not willing to become a slave of that type.
It is not just a question of my taking care of my life more than the other guy's, but my actually not caring if he survives or not once he puts himself in that place. It was his choice to gamble with his life, not mine.
Of course, my tactics also reflect the reality that many criminals today carry firearms or other weapons and are willing to use them. The concept of theft during the night comes from the Old Testament, but was justified in modern times based on the darkness hiding his weapons better. but if they also have the weapons during the daytime, the threat doesn't change with the light and my response should not either.