winstonjen

I posted this in the other philosophy forum, but I thought it would also be appropriate here.

My friend Shadownought helped me come up with a solid definition of it, IMO.

Murder, to me, is the killing of someone else for deplorable motives.

Therefore, to me, suicide is not murder, as you are only killing yourself, not anyone else.

Euthanasia is not murder - it is done out of respect for the other person's autonomy, and with the motive of ending their suffering. We euthanise our pets all the time, and that is not considered to be murder.

What are your views on this?

AnthonyAdams45

An immoral killing.

Murder - v. to kill for immoral reasons or through immoral means.

The question then is not is X a case of murder, but rather, is X a killing, then, is the killing an immoral one.

winstonjen

I agree with that, but does that definition of murder apply to killing oneself, or only to killing others?

AnthonyAdams45

that it apply to all killings of any kind, self, other selves, non-selves, etc.

Oxymoron

Murder is a legal term, not a philosophical one. In the law, to prove that a killing is murder, you need the following things:

* A degree of premeditation
* A motive
* A means (a gun, poison, whatever)
* An opportunity

The law sees no distinction between a "good" motive (eg euthanasia) and a "bad" motive.

winstonjen

Then, in my view, the law is flawed, and needs to be revised, perhaps through a referrendum.

Answerer

Is abortion is a form of murder?

winstonjen

To me, it is if the abortion is not justified (eg. fatal birth defects).

AnthonyAdams45

Would you agree that the justification has a moral component? That what justifies aborting an fetus with some sort of terminal defects is an attempt to behave morally, either toward the fetus, the mother, other family members, or the society at large?

winstonjen

The justification must be made from the victim's point of view. With murder, society is not being killed. The ones most directly affected should have the most say. With abortion, this is not possible with the baby - it cannot communicate.