Comments on: Responsibility and the Unknowable http://unrforliberty.com/2009/05/responsibility-and-unknowable.html Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:30:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: John Russell http://unrforliberty.com/2009/05/responsibility-and-unknowable.html/comment-page-1#comment-528 John Russell Tue, 12 May 2009 19:59:07 +0000 http://travishagen.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/responsibility-and-the-unknowable/#comment-528 Well this is a moral call. Does one have permission to violate a law that he may feel is "wrong"? Did MLK have a right to violate the laws of the time? Personally, I cannot violate any law - you will never see me protesting and causing problems - I have better things to do with my time. But, I think what Barry was trying to get across is that at what point does law become so complicated and so overbearing that claiming ignorance to the fact is justified. Is it humanly possible to be aware of all the laws on the book? If not, then what expectation should government have when holding citizens responsible for them?<br><br>Thus is life. Well this is a moral call. Does one have permission to violate a law that he may feel is “wrong”? Did MLK have a right to violate the laws of the time? Personally, I cannot violate any law – you will never see me protesting and causing problems – I have better things to do with my time. But, I think what Barry was trying to get across is that at what point does law become so complicated and so overbearing that claiming ignorance to the fact is justified. Is it humanly possible to be aware of all the laws on the book? If not, then what expectation should government have when holding citizens responsible for them?

Thus is life.

]]> By: John http://unrforliberty.com/2009/05/responsibility-and-unknowable.html/comment-page-1#comment-284 John Tue, 12 May 2009 13:59:07 +0000 http://travishagen.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/responsibility-and-the-unknowable/#comment-284 Well this is a moral call. Does one have permission to violate a law that he may feel is "wrong"? Did MLK have a right to violate the laws of the time? Personally, I cannot violate any law - you will never see me protesting and causing problems - I have better things to do with my time. But, I think what Barry was trying to get across is that at what point does law become so complicated and so overbearing that claiming ignorance to the fact is justified. Is it humanly possible to be aware of all the laws on the book? If not, then what expectation should government have when holding citizens responsible for them?<br><br>Thus is life. Well this is a moral call. Does one have permission to violate a law that he may feel is “wrong”? Did MLK have a right to violate the laws of the time? Personally, I cannot violate any law – you will never see me protesting and causing problems – I have better things to do with my time. But, I think what Barry was trying to get across is that at what point does law become so complicated and so overbearing that claiming ignorance to the fact is justified. Is it humanly possible to be aware of all the laws on the book? If not, then what expectation should government have when holding citizens responsible for them?

Thus is life.

]]> By: Shane http://unrforliberty.com/2009/05/responsibility-and-unknowable.html/comment-page-1#comment-283 Shane Tue, 12 May 2009 00:36:10 +0000 http://travishagen.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/responsibility-and-the-unknowable/#comment-283 Are you responsible for yourself if you accidentally kill or injure another person. Or accidentally damage another's property.<br><br>This is not a great analogy--it is rather poor probably--but the accident act could perhaps be equated to ignorant action.<br><br>More fundamentally, if you have not choice (or more appropriately, no reasonable choice) but to become subservient to laws you have very little stake in, what value should you place in those laws? Are you responsible for yourself if you accidentally kill or injure another person. Or accidentally damage another's property.

This is not a great analogy–it is rather poor probably–but the accident act could perhaps be equated to ignorant action.

More fundamentally, if you have not choice (or more appropriately, no reasonable choice) but to become subservient to laws you have very little stake in, what value should you place in those laws?

]]> By: David http://unrforliberty.com/2009/05/responsibility-and-unknowable.html/comment-page-1#comment-282 David Mon, 11 May 2009 14:23:37 +0000 http://travishagen.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/responsibility-and-the-unknowable/#comment-282 And if particular laws do not "protect your rights" what then? And if particular laws do not “protect your rights” what then?

]]> By: John http://unrforliberty.com/2009/05/responsibility-and-unknowable.html/comment-page-1#comment-281 John Sun, 10 May 2009 21:06:09 +0000 http://travishagen.wordpress.com/2009/05/10/responsibility-and-the-unknowable/#comment-281 It seems to me that if one is to engage in a activity that has law, one must be well-versed in such laws governing it. Since law is designed to protect my rights, one cannot infringe upon them and subsquently claim ignorance as a defense. It seems to me that if one is to engage in a activity that has law, one must be well-versed in such laws governing it. Since law is designed to protect my rights, one cannot infringe upon them and subsquently claim ignorance as a defense.

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