Current Events > I can't help but thinking that people who always follow the law are immoral

(+) Yeah! (+)

If someone is a person who, no matter what, always follows the law to the letter, it's hard for me to believe that the person actually has a real sense of morality.

There are so many times throughout human history where the law and morality have diverged. Think Nazi Germany for one. If you helped shelter Jews or help them escape, that was highly illegal. So these people who say it's always wrong to break the law no matter what would therefore have to say helping the Jews was wrong in this case, because it broke the law.

Same goes for helping slaves escape during the Underground Railroad. That was illegal too.

So if you're someone who thinks "well breaking the law is ALWAYS the wrong thing to do", basically what you're admitting is that you have no actual sense of morality, but you just brainlessly follow what those in charge tell you to think and do. That doesn't seem like morality to me. It just seems like being a minion or a pawn, someone who can easily be controlled into doing someone else's bidding.
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The law doesn't determine what is right or wrong, only what you get punished for.
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chollima posted...

The law doesn't determine what is right or wrong, only what you get punished for.

I agree, but it's still not unusual to hear stuff like

"Well, it's against the law and they still broke it, so they were in the wrong!"

like Edward Snowden is a recent example where this kind of logic came forth.
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I was going to say it's a lot easier for people to say something does or doesn't follow the guidance of the law than it is to sit and reason out if somebody is right or wrong.

Having typed that out, it really isn't "a lot easier", especially considering one requires specialist training in order to understand the law.
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chollima posted...

The law doesn't determine what is right or wrong, only what you get punished for.

True, but this is why we have trials. The law is rather black and white, while a trial can help make it a little more human and gray.

We can do wrong things for the right reasons, a jury will then decide if it was.
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"When law and honor stand on opposite sides of the line, where will you stand?"

Correct. This is why lawful good would not actually be possible as an alignment
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True, the law and actual morality don't always line up. The people who can't grasp this concept show they have a very weak understanding of morality and ethics.

Quick example: People who are super quick to judge anyone who smokes weed (where it's illegal) but are completely A-okay with alcohol. How would they feel during the prohibition? It just shows a complete lack of critical thinking.

People who think the law is equal to what's right are the same people who would happily own slaves if it were legal.
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