Discuss

[fpb]

The following aphorism came to me during a heated online discussion. Any opinions?

"It is better to do a [morallly] good thing badly, than to do a [morally] bad thing well. And if you think about a bit, you will see that this is strictly logical."

Comments

[rfachir.livejournal.com]

We're debating "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" or "talent is a curse" or the maleability of logic at 3 AM?

I'm heading to bed, but I'm wondering about operations - my biggest nightmare. Bad outcome of operation = pain and death of patient and guilt of doctor. Unless he's a Dean Koontz doctor who brought back someone from death with a demon's soul hitching a ride from the nether regions. In which case good outcome of operation = pain and moral death of patient and guilt of doctor. But I'm too sleepy and sloppy to think about it any more tonight.

[superversive.livejournal.com]

Operations fit the aphorism very well. If a surgeon operates to save a patient’s life and does it badly, he may kill the patient — or, more likely, he’ll make a mistake that can be repaired by someone with more skill. If he operates to kill the patient on purpose and does it well, he certainly will kill the patient. (And if you think this is too hypothetical a case to base a position on, have a look at the euthanasia figures from the Netherlands — and how many people were euthanatized, if you can call it that, on the physician’s own initiative without the victim’s permission.)