JoshuaZ comments on Counterfactual Coalitions - Less Wrong

15 Post author: Larks 16 February 2012 09:42PM

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Comment author: JoshuaZ 17 February 2012 04:25:57PM 3 points [-]

I'm a little worried about politics being the mind-killer here. So I'm not going to get too involved. But I'd point out that not everyone who is pro-life is certain that abortion is murder. Moreover, you are talking about legislation, and legislation always involves compromises. So having a punishment that is less harsh than what their articulated beliefs would call for is not an indication of hypocrisy.

Now, what is hypocritical and is very similar, is that the people who say that abortion is murder aren't out spending time bombing clinics. Whenever a clinic is bombed or a doctor killed, they rush out to say that they don't support it. But if they did actually believe, then they would. However, there may be some degree of scope insensitivity and other cognitive biases at play here rather than simple hypocrisy.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 17 February 2012 09:54:16PM 6 points [-]

Now, what is hypocritical and is very similar, is that the people who say that abortion is murder aren't out spending time bombing clinics. Whenever a clinic is bombed or a doctor killed, they rush out to say that they don't support it. But if they did actually believe, then they would. However, there may be some degree of scope insensitivity and other cognitive biases at play here rather than simple hypocrisy.

So by that logic where all the pre-civil war abolitionists except John Brown were hypocrites.

Comment author: fubarobfusco 17 February 2012 04:43:37PM 4 points [-]

Now, what is hypocritical and is very similar, is that the people who say that abortion is murder aren't out spending time bombing clinics.

What would the analogy be for people who think that the death penalty is murder? How about for people who think that war is murder?