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Legal means to kill

Thoreau72 said:
I forgot to mention that if you really want to find out what I'm talking about in this area of human behavior, you should read Zimbardo's book "The Lucifer Effect" documenting SPE and more, and the work of Milgram, I think entitled "Obedience to Authority". I shan't hold my breath waiting for that. Do the condensed version at Wikipedia or something.
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Apparently I won...
 
Bodhisattva said:
Jack Reacher said about the military something like... some join to serve their country... some join because their family does and some join as a legal means to kill a person.
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Jack Reacher, the fictional character, is wrong. ;)

I suggest you read Fiske and Rai's new book Virtuous Violence, which reviews how the primary motivation/justification for violence are the moral impulses to regulate social relationships. One of the things they talk about is how sadism, instrumentality and psychopathy are rarely motivations to engage in violence, far less than most people presume.

Very few people actually like to kill, and most people who join the military do so to defend their nation. In Fiske's terms, it is mostly to bolster the "CS" relationship (i.e. protect the in-group), and once in the military, "AR" (Authority Ranking) is a huge moral motivation to do what you're told, and kill the enemy.

https://www.amazon.com/Virtuous-Vio...9242293-2225148?ie=UTF8&qid=1513715897&sr=8-1
 
Bodhisattva said:
Jack Reacher said about the military something like... some join to serve their country... some join because their family does and some join as a legal means to kill a person. We seem to be seeing this last one more and more regarding the police with the video technology that is everywhere now. What are your thoughts?
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I have no doubt that there are police officers that do the job because they enjoy the power it gives them. What percentage of the force that is, I have no idea.
 
molten_dragon said:
I have no doubt that there are police officers that do the job because they enjoy the power it gives them. What percentage of the force that is, I have no idea.
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Yes, having authority is likely a motive for some to join, but that does not mean they join so that they can kill people.
 
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