Terrorism

[Just]

Most people in the western world would agree that terrorism is about as immoral as anything gets.
In my opinion it does not differ much from a military war or the death penalty.

Strangely a person known for their morallity and who is admired for his courage, Nelson Mandela, threatened to use "terrorism", if sabotage didn't work.

I would just like to ask thoughts on "terrorism"... possibly a definition...

thanks

 

[JillLars]

I would say that terrorism is specifically targetting innocent people in order to strike fear into the larger population to accomplish a specific goal.

 

[revolutio]

I don't think terrorism is confined to civilians. It is any tactic used primarily to instill fear in others. I don't think that is any worse than murder or rape.

 

[Dyrwen]

I don't think terrorism is confined to civilians. It is any tactic used primarily to instill fear in others. I don't think that is any worse than murder or rape.

^What he said.

Although, I find it completely fine so long as I'm the one committing terrorism. Hypocritical, but at least it's honest.

 

[JillLars]

I said that it is towards civilians to set it apart from the fighting that takes place in wars, although some of it could qualify as terrorism, example:

Soldier A targets Soldier B = Not Terrorism
Soldier A targets children and family, or other members of Soldier B's community = Terrorism

 

[Blissman]

I said that it is towards civilians to set it apart from the fighting that takes place in wars, although some of it could qualify as terrorism, example:

Soldier A targets Soldier B = Not Terrorism
Soldier A targets children and family, or other members of Soldier B's community = Terrorism

There is a difference between a soldier fighting a war and a terrorist. A soldier knows that they are in combat and are fighting another soldier. Nations have soldiers so as to do their fighting. Civilians are not expected to engage in combat and risk death (that is why they have soldiers). The question of this thread was not "is killing pople moral?" Likely there would be a universal condemnation that killing was itself moral.

 

[feral]

Terrorism is the violent actions that your enemy does to further a cause you disapprove of. Self defense it what we call it when we do terrorism...

 

[Battered Angel]

Most people in the western world would agree that terrorism is about as immoral as anything gets.
In my opinion it does not differ much from a military war or the death penalty.

I would just like to ask thoughts on "terrorism"... possibly a definition...

thanks

Thats funny I was about to say that terrorism did not differ much from some forms of liberalism. PETA blowing up buildings. Prochoice advocates securing mass murder in abortion clinics. And the PC police using legislative bodies and activist judges to stuff rags in the mouths of principled citizens through hate speech laws. Kindof a pernicious polar opposite of the Taliban. Promiscuity gone wild to the point of persecution of its inhibitors, namely the righteous.

 

[Arikay]

PETA has blown up a building, maybe you can provide a source?

 

[burrow_owl]

I think the above poster meant Earth Liberation Front, not PETA.

This being the philosophy heading, I wanna ask a question that I wouldn't in other sections of the forum for fear of being misinterpreted: when 9/11 happened, I was struck by the isomorphism of the logic of terrorism and the logic of embargo: they both target civilians in order to indirectly put pressure on those citizens' government. That seems an adequate description of both logics, the only salient difference being that the actor in terrorism is a non-state entity, while embargo requires a state actor. That said, I'm not suggesting 9/11 was a case of chickens coming home to roost, I'm just genuinely interested in how we justify the acceptibility of one yet deplore the other. Certainly, some of the difference is going to devolve upon the free choice of Saddam to distribute what goods he had in whatever manner he chose, but assuming we knew reasonably well that embargo would result in civilian deaths, how are they different?

Thanks in advance for responses.